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THE iENEID FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
NEW YORK • BOSTON • CHICAGO • DALIJVS
ATLANTA • SAN FRANCISCO
MACMILLAN & CO., Limited
LONDON • BOMBAY • CALCUTTA
MELBOURNE
THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
OF CANADA, Limited
TORONTO
THE iENEID FOR
BOYS AND GIRLS
TOLD FROM VIRGIL
IN SIMPLE LANGUAGE
BY THE
REV. ALFRED J. CHURCH, M.A.
AUTHOR OF ** THE ILIAD FOR BOYS AND GIRLS,**
«< THE ODYSSEY FOR BOYS AND GIRLS '*
THE MACMILLAN COMPANY
1934
Copyright, 1908,
By the MACMILLAN COMPANY.
All rights reserved — no part of this book may be
reproduced in any form without permission in writing
from the publisher, except by a reviewer who wishes
to quote brief passages in connection with a review
written for inclusion in magazine or newspaper.
Set up and electrotyped. Published September, 1 908.
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES 07 AUEKICA
TO
MY GRANDDAUGHTERS
ELSIE AND MARGARET
IN THE CHILCOTIN
m
910-813
CONTENTS
CHAPTER
I.
The Horse of Wood .
» •
PAGB
15
n.
The Sack of Troy . ,
► •
• *7
III.
^NEAS AND AnCHISES
t •
. 41
IV.
Of the Voyage of ^Eneas
» •
• 55
V.
The Voyage of ^neas (^continue et)
•
. 69
VI.
The Shipwreck , , •
» •
. 83
VII.
Carthage ....
> •
. 93
VIII.
Dido . . , . •
•
. 103
IX.
The Funeral Games of Anchises
• •
. 115
X.
The Burning of the Ships — The
Coming tc
Italy ....
» •
. 133
XI.
In Italy . . • •
» •
. 145
XII.
The Plots of Juno
t •
. 159
XIII.
The Gathering of the Chiefs
» • <
. 169
XIV.
King Evander . . • .
> .
> 177
XV.
The Arms of -^neas . . • ,
» •
. 191
XVI.
NiSUS AND EURYALUS
> •
. 203
XVII.
The Battle at the Camp
vii
t • 4
> 217
Vlll
CONTENTS
CHAPTER
XVIII. The Battle on the Shore .
XIX. The Council ....
XX. The Deeds and Death of Camilla
XXI. The Broken Treaty ,
XXII. The Death of Turnus
Afterwards ....
PAGE
229
247
259
271
281
29s
CHAPTER I
THE HORSE OF WOOD
THE ^NEID FOR BOYS AND
GIRLS -'^^-^J^•v"•^?^,?i
CHAPTER I
THE HORSE OF WOOD
The Greeks besieged the city of Troy for
nearly ten years. They could not take it
because the walls were so high and strong —
some said that they had been built by the
hands of gods — but they kept the Trojans
inside. This had not always been so. There
had been a time when the Trojans had gone
out and fought with their enemies on the
plain, sometimes they had beaten them in
battle, and once they had very nearly burnt
their ships. But this was all changed. They
had lost some of the bravest of their chiefs,
such as Hector, the best of the sons of Priam,
and Paris the great archer, and many great
princes, who had come from the countries
round about to help them.
15
.ENEID FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
We can easily believe then that Priam,
King of Troy, and his people were very
glad to he^Lr that one day the Greeks had
gone home. Two Trojans, who had left the
city two weeks or so before on a message
from King Priam to one of his allies, came
back saying that they had gone to the camp
of the Greeks and had found h empty, and
that there were no ships to be seen. Every
one who was not ill or too old to move about
made all the haste they could to get out of
the city. The gates were opened wide for
the first time during ten years, and men,
women, and children hurried out to see the
plain where so many battles had been fought,
and the camp in which the enemy had lived,
and the place where the ships had been
dragged up on the shore. As you may
suppose, those who had fought in the battles
had a great deal to say about what they had
done and what they had seen. There were
many things to see, but the strangest one of
all was a great Horse of Wood, which was
standing not far from the walls of the city.
No one was quite sure what it was, or what
it meant. One man said; *Tt is a very
i6
THE HORSE OF WOOD
curious thing. Let us drag it into the city
that it may be a monument of all that we
have suffered for the last ten years." Others
said: **Not so; we had better burn it, or
drag it down to the sea that the water may
cover it, or cut it open to see whether there is
anything inside.'' Of these no one was more
vehement than Laocoon, priest of Neptune.
''Take heed what you do, men of Troy," he
cried. ''Who knows whether the Greeks have
really gone away .? It may be that there are
armed men inside this Horse ; , it may be
that it has been made so big to overtop
the walls of the city. Anyhow I am afraid
of these Greeks, even when they give us
gifts." And as he spoke, he threw the spear
which he had in his hand at the Horse of
Wood, and struck it on the side. A great
rattling sound was heard, and the Trojans,
if they had not been very blind and fooHsh,
might have known that there was something
wrong.
While the dispute was going on, some
shepherds came up, bringing with them a
man whose hands were bound behind his
back. He had come out from a hiding-place,
17
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they said, of his own accord, when they were
in the field. The young Trojans crowded
round him, and began to mock at him, but
he cried out in a very piteous voice: **What
shall I do? where shall I go? the Greeks
will not let me live, and the Trojans cry
out for vengeance upon me." Then they
began to pity him, and they bade him say
who he was and what he had to tell.
Then the man turned to King Priam, and
said: *'I will speak the truth, whatever may
happen to me. My name is Sinon, and I
will not deny that I am a Greek. Perhaps
you have heard of one Palamedes. The
Greeks put him to death, saying that he
was a traitor; but his only fault was that
he wanted to have peace. Yes, they put
him to death, and now that he is dead, they
are sorry. I was a cousin of his, and my
father sent me with him to Troy. So long
as he prospered, I prospered also; but when
he was done to death by the false witness
of Ulysses, I fell into great grief and trouble,
nor could I be silent; I swore that if ever
I got back to Argos, I would have revenge
on those who had brought him to his death.
i8
THE HORSE OF WOOD
So Ulysses was always on the look-out to
do me some harm; and at the last by the
help of Calchas the prophet — but why do
I tell you of these things ? Doubtless you
hold one Greek as bad as another. Kill me,
if you will; only remember that this is the
very thing which the two sons of Atreus
wish, the very thing which Ulysses himself
would give much money to secure."
Then the Trojans said: **Tell us more."
And he went on. ''Many times would the
Greeks have gone home, for they were very
tired of the war, but the sea was so stormy
that they dared not go. Then they made
this great Horse of Wood which you see,
but the storms grew worse and worse. Then
they sent to ask Apollo what they should
do. And Apollo said: 'Men of Greece,
when you came here you had to appease
the winds with blood, and you must appease
them with blood again when you go away/
Every one trembled when they heard this,
for every one feared that it might be his
blood that would be wanted. After a while
Ulysses brought the prophet into the assembly
of the people, and said: 'Tell us now who
19
^NEID FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
is it that the gods will have for a victim?'
Then many thought that it was I against
whom Ulysses was plotting. For nine days
the prophet said nothing: 'He would not
give any Greek,' he said, 'to death.' These
were his words, but in truth he and Ulysses
had plotted the whole thing between them.
On the tenth day he spoke, and said: *Sinon
is the man.' To this all agreed, every man
thinking, 'Well, it is not I that shall die.'
So they fixed a day on which I was to be
sacrificed, and made everything ready. But
before it came, I broke my chains and escaped,
hiding myself in the reeds of a pond, till
they should set sail. And now I shall never
see my own country again; no, nor my wife
and children, and, doubtless, these cruel men
will take vengeance on them because I
escaped. And now I beseech you, O King,
to have pity on me, for I have suffered much,
though, indeed, I have not done harm to
any man."
Then King Priam had pity on him and
bade them unbind his hands, saying: "Forget
your own people; from to-day you are one
of us. But tell us now, why did the
20
THE HORSE OF WOOD
Greeks make this great Horse of Wood that
we see ? "
Then Sinon lifted up his hands to the sky
and said: ''O sun and moon and stars, I
call you to witness that I have a good right
to tell the secrets of my countrymen. Listen,
O King. From the beginning, when the
Greeks first came to this place, their hope
has been in the help of Minerva. But she
was angry with them for this cause. Ulysses
and Diomed made their way into your city,
and climbed into the citadel, and killed the
guards. And then with hands all bloody
from the slaughter, they laid hold of her
image and carried it away.^ It was this that
made the goddess angry, that they should
dare to touch her with hands stained with
blood. I saw with my own eyes how the
eyes of the image, when these two brought
it into the camp, flashed with anger, and
how the drops of sweat stood upon it; yes,
and how it leapt three times from the ground,
shaking shield and spear. Then the prophet
said: 'You must go back to Greece, and
* It was said that as long as the image of Minerva remained in
the temple Troy could not be taken.
21
iENEID FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
come again, and begin the war again, if you
wish to take the city of Troy' — and this
they are doing now; they have gone back
to Greece, and they will soon return. Further-
more, he said: *You must make a Horse of
Wood to be a peace-offering to Minerva.
Make it, I advise you, very great, so that the
Trojans may not take it within their walls.
For, if they do so take it, then you will
never conquer their city. Nay, they will
come to our own land, and lay siege to our
cities, and our children will suffer the things
which we have sought to bring on them.
But if they hurt the thing, then they them-
selves shall perish.'"
This was the tale that Sinon told, and the
Trojans believed it. Nor is this to be
wondered at, because the gods themselves
took part in deceiving them. For while
Laocoon, the priest of Neptune, the same that
had thrown his spear at the Horse, was
sacrificing a bull on the altar of his god,
two great serpents came across the sea from
a certain island that was near. All the
Trojans saw them come, with their heads
raised high above the water, as is the way
22
THE HORSE OF WOOD
of snakes to swim. And when they reached
the land they came on straight to the city.
Their eyes were red as blood, and blazed
like fire, and they made a dreadful hissing
with their tongues. The Trojans grew pale
with fear, and fled. But the serpents did
not turn this way or that, but came straight
to the altar at which Laocoon stood, with
his two sons by him. And one serpent laid
hold on one of the boys, and the other on the
other, and they began to devour them. Then
the father picked up a sword, and tried to
help them, but they caught hold of him,
and wound their folds round him. Twice
did they wind themselves round his body
and his neck, and their heads stood high
above his head. And he still tried as hard
as he could to tear them away with his
hands, and the garlands which he bore, being
a priest, dripped with blood. And all the
time he cried aloud as a bull roars when
the servant of the temple strikes him un-
skilfully, and he flies from the altar. And
when the serpents had done their work, and
both the priest and his sons were dead, then
they glided to the hill on which stood the
23
iENEID FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
Temple of Minerva, and hid themselves under
the feet of the image. And v^hen the
Trojans saw this, they said to themselves:
"Now Laocoon has suffered the due reward
of his deeds, for he threw his spear at the
holy thing which belongs to the goddess,
and now he is dead and his sons with him."
Then they all cried out together that the
Horse of Wood should be drawn into the
citadel. So they opened the great gate of
the city, pulling down part of the wall that
there might be more room, and they put
rollers under the feet of the Horse, and they
fastened ropes to it. Then they drew it into
the city, boys and girls laying hold of the
ropes, and singing songs with great joy.
And every one thought it a great thing if
he could put his hand to a rope. But there
were not wanting signs of evil to come.
Four times did the Horse halt as they
dragged it, before it passed through the
gate, and each time there might have been
heard a great clashing of arms within. Also
Cassandra opened her mouth, and prophesied
the fate of the city; but no one took any
heed of her words, for it was her doom
24
THE HORSE OF WOOD
that she should speak the truth and not be
beUeved. So the Trojans drew the Horse
of Wood into the city. That night they
kept a feast to the gods with great joy, not
knowing that the end of their city was now
close at hand.
25
CHAPTER II
THE SACK OF TROY
CHAPTER II
THE SACK OF TROY
Now the Greeks had only made a show of
going away. They had taken their ships,
indeed, from the place where they had been
drawn up on the coast of Troy, but they
had not taken them farther than a little
island which was close by. There they hid
themselves, ready to come back when the
signal was given. When it was quite dark
the signal was given; a burning torch was
raised from the ship of King Agamemnon,
which was in the middle of the fleet. When
the Greeks saw this they got on board their
ships, and rowed across from the island. The
moon gave them light, and there was a
great calm on the sea. At the same time
Sinon opened the door in the Horse of Wood,
and let out the chiefs who were hidden in
it. And all the time the Trojans were fast
asleep, not thinking of any danger.
Now <^neas, who was the chief hope and
29
^NEID FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
stay of the Trojans, had a dream. He dreamt
that he saw Hector, the brave chief who
had been killed by Achilles. He saw him
not as he was in the old time, when he
came back from the battle, bringing back
the arms of Achilles, which he had taken
from Patroclus; not as he was when he was
setting fire to the ships, and the Greeks
could not stand against him, but as he was
when he lay dead. He was covered with
dust and blood, and his feet were pierced
through with thongs, for Achilles had dragged
him at the wheels of his chariot three times
round the walls of Troy.
When iEneas saw him he forgot all that
had happened, and said: *'Why have you
been so long in coming? We have missed
you much, and suffered much because you
were not here to help us. But why do
you look so miserable ? Who has given
you these wounds ? "
To these questions the spirit made no
answer. All that he said was this: "Fly,
^neas, fly, and save yourself from these
flames. The enemy is inside our walls, and
Troy is lost. The gods would have it so,
30
THE SACK OF TROY
If any one could have saved the city, I
should have done it. But it was not to be.
You are now Troy's only hope. Take, then,
the gods of your country, and flee across the
sea; there some day you shall build another
Troy."
And iEneas woke from his sleep, and while
he lay thinking about the dream he heard
a great sound, and it seemed to him like
to the sound of arms. So he rose from his
bed, and climbed on the roof, and looked
at the city. Just so a shepherd stands upon
a hill and sees, it may be, a great fire blown
by a strong wind from the south, and sweep-
ing over the corn-fields, or a flood rushing
down from the mountains. As he looked
he saw the fire burst out first from one great
palace and then from another, till the very
sea shone with the light of the burning city.
Then he knew that what Hector had told
him in the dream was true, that the Greeks
had made their way into the city. So he
put on his armour, though he did not know
what he could do. Still, he thought to
himself: "I may be able to help Troy in
some way; anyhow, I can avenge myself
31
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on the enemy; at the least I can die with
honour." Just as he was going out of his
house the priest of Apollo met him. He
was leading his little grandson by the hand,
and on his other arm he was carrying an
image of the god. When he saw ^Eneas
he cried out: *'0 iEneas, the glory is gone
from Troy; the Greeks have the mastery
in the city. Armed men have come out of
the Horse of Wood, and thousands have got
in by the gates, which that traitor Sinon
has opened." While he was speaking, others
came up, one of them being young Coroebus,
who had come to Troy, hoping to get the
prophetess Cassandra for his wife. ^Eneas
said to them: ** Brothers, if you are willing
to follow me to the death, come on. You
see what has happened. The gods who used
to guard our city have gone from it; no-
where is any help to be found. Still, we
may die as brave men die in battle. Ay,
and it may be that he who is willing to
lose his life may save it." Then they all
followed him, and they went through the
city as fierce as hungry wolves when they
come down from the mountains.
32
THE SACK OF TROY
The first thing that happened was this.
A certain Greek chieftain, who had many
men with him, met them, and mistook them
for his own countrymen. **Make haste, my
friends!" he cried; "why are you so late?
We are spoiling the city, and you have only
just come from the ships." But when they
made no answer, he looked again, and saw
that he had fallen among enemies. So a
man comes upon the snake among the rocks,
and when it rises, with great swelling neck,
he tries to fly. So the chieftain turned to
fly; but the place was strange to him, and
he and many of his company were killed.
Then Corcebus said: "We have good luck,
my friends. Let us now change our shields
and put on the armour of the Greeks. Who
can blame us for deceiving these Greeks?"
Then he took the shield and helmet of the
Greek chieftain, who had been slain, and
his sword also. The others did the same,
and so disguising himself he killed many of
the Greeks. Others fled to the ships, and
some climbed up again into the Horse of
Wood.
As they went through the city they met
33
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a number of men who were dragging the
prophetess Cassandra from the temple of
Minerva, in which she had taken refuge.
When Coroebus, who, as has been said, hoped
to marry Cassandra, saw this, and how she
lifted up her eyes to heaven — her hands she
could not lift because they were bound with
iron — he was mad with rage, and rushed at
the men, seeking to set the girl free, and
all the other Trojans followed him. Then
there happened a very dreadful thing. There
were many Trojans standing on the roofs of
temples and houses close by; these men,
when they saw Coroebus and the others with
the Greek armour on them, which they had
taken, took them for Greeks, and threw spears
at them and killed many. And the Greeks
also began to fight more fiercely than before,
and those who had fled to the ships came
back again. Altogether they gathered a great
company together, and the Trojans, of whom
there were but very few, could not stand up
against them. Coroebus was killed first of
all, and then almost all the others, good and
bad, for it was the day of doom for the
Trojans. At last iEneas was left with only
34
THE SACK OF TROY
two companions, one of them an old man,
and the other hardly able to move for a
wound which Ulysses had given him.
As he stood thinking what he should do,
he heard a great shouting, and it seemed to
come from the palace of King Priam. So
he said to his companions: "Let us go and
see whether we can help." And when they
got there they found a fiercer battle than
any that they had seen before in the city.
Some of the Greeks were trying to climb
up the walls. They had put ladders against
them, and they stood on the steps high up,
grasping the edge of the roof in one hand,
and holding their shields with the other.
And the Trojans, knowing that there was
no hope of escaping, tore down the battle-
ments and threw the big stones at the heads
of the Greeks. Now ^Eneas knew of a
secret way into the palace. By this Hector's
wife Andromache had been used to come
from Hector's palace, bringing her little
boy with her to see his grandfather King
Priam. So he was able to climb up on
to the roof, without being seen by the
Greeks, and to join his countrymen who
35
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were defending the palace. There was a
high tower on the roof, so high that all
the city of Troy could be seen from it,
and the camp of the Greeks, and the ships.
The Trojans broke away the foundations of
this tower with bars of iron, and toppled
it over, so that it fell upon the Greeks,
and killed many of them. But the others
pressed on just as fiercely as before, throw-
ing javelins and stones and anything that
came to their hands at the Trojans on the
roof.
While some were trying to climb up on
to the roof, others were breaking down the
gates of the palace. The leader of them
was the son of Achilles, Pyrrhus by name.
He wore shining armour of bronze, and
was as bright as a great snake which has
slept in his hole all the winter, and when
the spring begins, comes out with a new
shining skin into the sunshine and lifts his
head high and hisses with his forked tongue.
He had a great battle-axe, which he held
in both his hands, and with this he hewed
through the doors; the very door-posts he
broke down with it, making what one might
36
THE SACK OF TROY
call a great window, through which could
be seen the great palace within, the hall of
King Priam and of the kings who haa
reigned in Troy before him. And those
who were inside also could see the armed
men who were breaking in, and they made
a great cry; and the women wailed and
clung to the doors and pillars, and kissed
them, because they thought that they should
never see them any more. There were men
who had been put to guard the gates, but
they could not stop the son of Achilles, for
he was as fierce and as strong as his father
had been. He and his people were hke to
a river that is swollen with much rain and
bursts its banks, and overflows all the plain.
Just so did the Greeks rush into the palace.
When old King Priam saw the enemy
in his hall he put on his armour. He had
not worn it for many years, so old he was,
but now he felt that he must fight for his
home. And he took a spear in his hand,
and would have gone against the Greeks.
But his wife. Queen Hecuba, called to him
from the place where she sat. She and her
daughter and the wives of her sons had
37
^NEID FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
fled to the great altar of the gods of the
household, and were clinging to it. They
were Kke to a flock of doves which have
been driven by a storm into a wood. The
altar stood in an open court which was in
the middle of the palace, and a great bay tree
stood by, and covered it with its branches.
When she saw how her husband had put
on his armour, as if he were a young man,
she cried to him, saying: "What has be-
witched you that you have put on your
armour? It is not the sword that can help
us to-day; no, not if my own dear Hector,
who was the bravest of the brave, were
here. It is in the gods and their altars
that we must trust. Come and sit with
us; here you will be safe, or, at least, we shall
all die together."
So she made the old man sit down in
the midst of them. But lo! there came
flying through the hall of the palace one
of the sons of the king, Polites by name.
Pyrrhus had wounded him, but the lad had
fled, and Pyrrhus was close behind with
his spear. And just as he came within
sight of his father and his mother he fell
38
THE SACK OF TROY
dead upon the ground. When King Priam
saw this he could not contain himself, but
cried aloud, saying: ''Now may the gods
punish you for this wickedness, you who have
killed a son before the eyes of his father
and his mother. You say that you are a
son of the great Achilles, but when you say
it you lie. It was not thus that Achilles
treated me. For when he had slain my son
Hector, and I went to him to beg the
body for burial, he gave it to me for due
ransom, and sent me back to my own city
without harm."
So did King Priam speak; then he took up
a spear and cast it at Pyrrhus, but there
was no strength in his blow. It did but
shake the shield, not piercing it at all, and
falling idly on the ground. Then said the
son of Achilles: ''Go, tell my father of
his unworthy son, and of the wicked deeds
which he doeth. And that you may tell
him, die!" And as he spoke he caught
the old man's white hair with his left hand
and dragged him, slipping as he went in
the blood of his son, to the altar, and with
his right hand he lifted up his sword and
39
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drove it, up to the very hilt, into the old
man's body. So died King Priam. Once
he had ruled over many cities and peoples
in the land of Asia, and now, after he had
seen his city taken and his palace spoiled,
he was slain and his carcass was cast out
upon the earth, headless and without a
name.
40
CHAPTER in
.ENEAS AND ANCHISES
CHAPTER III
i^NEAS AND ANCHISES
iENEAS from his place on the roof saw all
these things, for they were done in the open
court that was in the middle of the palace.
He saw them, indeed, but he could give
no help, being but one against many. But the
sight of the old man lying dead made him
think of his own father, and so of his wife
Creiisa, and of his little son Ascanius, and how
he had left them at home alone and without
defence. As he thought to himself: *' Shall
I not return to them, for here I can do
nothing?" he turned his eyes and saw Helen in
the temple of Vesta. She was sitting by the
altar, hoping to be safe in the holy place.
She was greatly afraid, tearing the Trojans,
upon whom she had brought ruin, and her
husband whom she had deceived. When
iEneas saw her he was full of rage; and
he said to himself: ''Shall this wicked
woman go safe to Sparta ? Shall she see
43
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again her home and her children, taking,
it may be, women of Troy to be her hand-
maidens ? Shall Troy be burnt and King
Priam be slain, and she, who is the cause
of all this trouble, come to no harm ? It
shall not be; I myself will kill her. There
is no glory in such a deed; who can get
honour from the death of a woman? Never-
theless I shall be taking vengeance for my
kinsfolk and my countrymen."
But while he thought these things in his
heart, there appeared to him his mother,
^/"nT'<5. in such a shape as he had never
seen her before, not like to a woman of
the earth, but tall and fair, as the gods
who dwell in Heaven see her. Venus said
to him: **What means this rage, my son?
Have you no thought for me ? Have you
forgotten your old father Anchises, and your
wife, and your little son? Surely the fire
had burnt them up long ago, if I had not
cared for them, and preserved them. And
as for Helen, why are you angry with her?
It is not she, it is not Paris, that has brought
this great city of Troy to ruin; it is the
anger of the gods. See now; I will take
44
iENEAS AND ANCHISES
away the mist that is over your eyes. Look
there; see how Neptune, god of the sea,
is overthrowing the walls with his three-
forked spear, and is rooting up the city from
its foundations ! See there, again, how Juno
stands in the great gate of the city, with a
spear in her hand, and great hosts of Greeks
from the ships ! See how Minerva sits upon
the citadel, with a storm cloud round her,
and her awful shield upon her arm ! See
how Father Jupiter himself stirs up the
enemies of Troy! Fly, my son; I will be
with you, and will not leave you till you
reach your father's house." When she had
so spoken she vanished into the night.
Then ^Eneas looked, as his mother bade
him, and saw the dreadful forms of gods,
and how they were destroying the city, and
all the place seemed, as he looked, to be
sinking down into the fire. Just as an
oak in the mountains, at which the woodmen
cut with their axes, bows its head, with its
branches shaking round about it, till at last,
after bearing many blows, it falls at once,
and crashes down the side of the mountain,
so Troy seemed to fall. When he had seen
45
iENEID FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
this, he turned to go to his own home. His
mother was by his side, though he could
not see her, and he passed through the flames,
and was not hurt, nor did the spear of the
enemy wound him.
When he got to his home, he thought
first of the old man, his father, and said to
him: "Come now, let me carry you away
from this city, to a safe place among the
hills." But Anchises would not go. He
did not wish to live in some strange country
when Troy had been destroyed. *'No," he
said; "do you, who are strong and who
have many days to live, fly. I will stay.
If the gods had wished me to live, they
would have preserved this place for me. It
is enough for me, yea, more than enough,
that already I have seen this city taken,
and lived. Say good-bye to me, therefore,
as you would say good-bye to a dying man.
Death I will find myself, or, at least, the
enemy will find it for me, when they come.
Already I have lived too long."
So Anchises spoke, nor could they persuade
him to change his mind, though his son,
and his son's wife, and even the little child
46
^NEAS AND ANCHISES
Ascanius begged him with many tears.
When iEneas saw that he could not change
the old man's purpose, he said to himself:
"What shall I do ? I will go back to the
battle and die. Oh, my father, did you think
that I would leave you and fly? This was
a thing surely that you should never have
said. If the gods will have it that nothing
of Troy should be left; if it is your will
that you and I and all your house should
perish with the city; be it so. The way to
bring this to pass is easy. Pyrrhus will soon
be here, Pyrrhus red with the blood of King
Priam, Pyrrhus who slays the son in the
sight of his father, and the father at the altar.
Was it for this, O Venus my mother, that
you brought me safe through the flames, and
thrust aside the spears of the enemy, that
I might see my father and my wife and
my son lie in one heap, slaughtered by the
enemy ? Comrade, give me my arms ; we
will go back to the battle, and die there, as
brave men should."
Then he put on his armour, and took up
his spear. But as he was going out of the
door, his wife Creiisa threw herself on the
47
iENEID FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
ground and caught his feet. She held out
to him the child Ascanius, and cried: "If
you are going back to the battle that you
may die there, then take your wife and
child with you. For why should we live
when you are dead ? But if you have any
hope that arms may help us, stay here, and
guard your father and your wife and your
son."
While she was speaking there happened
a most wonderful thing. A fire was seen
to shine upon the head of the child Ascanius,
to play round his long curls, and to sparkle
on his forehead. His father and his mother
saw it, and were astonished. At first they
thought that it was a real fire, and would
have fetched water with which to put it
out. But when the old man Anchises, who
was wise in such matters, saw it, he was
very glad, for he knew that this was no
common fire, but a token of other things,
that the child was dear to the gods. He
looked up to heaven, and cried: **0 Father
Jupiter, if thou hearest prayer at all, hear me
now, and give us a sign." While he was
speaking, there was heard a great clap of
48
iENEAS AND ANCHISES
thunder on the left hand, and a star was seen
to shoot through the skies, leaving a long
trail of light behind it, passing over the
city, till it was hidden behind the woods
of Ida. When the old man saw this he
rose from the place where he was sitting,
and bowed his head, and said: *'I will make
no more delay; lead on, and I will follow;
O gods of my country, save my house, and
my grandson. This sign came from you."
Then said iEneas, for the fire was coming
nearer, and the light growing brighter, and
the heat more fierce: ** Climb, dear father,
on my shoulders; I will carry you, nor shall I
be tired by the weight. We will be saved, or
we will perish together. The little Ascanius
shall go with me, and my wife shall follow
behind, but not too near." Then he turned
to the servants, and said: "Men of my house,
listen to me. You know that as one goes
out of the city there is a tomb and a temple
of Ceres in a lonely place, with an old cypress
tree close by. That is the place where we
will meet. Each by different ways, not all to-
gether, that we may not be seen by the enemy.
And do you, my father, take in your hands
D 49
iENEID FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
the images of the household gods. My hands
are red with blood, and I must not touch
holy things till I have washed them in running
water."
Then he put a lion's skin upon his shoulders
and stooped down, and the old man Anchises
climbed upon them. And the boy Ascanius
laid hold of his hand, keeping pace with his
father as best he could with his little steps.
And Creiisa followed behind. So he went,
with many fears. He had not been afraid of
the swords and spears of the enemy, but now
he was full of fear for them who were with
him, father and wife and child. But when
he had nearly got to the gates of the city
there happened a dreadful thing. There was
heard a great sound of feet in the darkness;
and the old man cried: ''Fly, my son, fly;
they are coming. I see the flashing of shields
and swords." So ^neas hurried on, but his
wife was separated from him. Whether she
lost her way, or whether she was tired and sat
down to rest herself, no one knew. Only
iEneas never saw her again; nor did he know
that she was lost, till all the company met
at the appointed place, and she alone was not
50
^NEAS AND ANCHISES
among them. It seemed a most grievous
thing to him, and he made loud complaints
against both gods and men. Then he told
his comrades that they must take care of
the old man and of Ascanius, and that he
would go and search for his wife. So he
went first to the gate by which he had come
out of the city. Then he went to his house,
thinking that by some chance she might have
gone back there. He found the house indeed,
but the Greeks were there, and it was nearly
burnt. After this he went to the citadel and
to the palace of King Priam. Her he saw
not, but he saw in the temple of Juno Ulysses
and Phoenix keeping guard over the spoil,
treasure from the temples, and cups of gold,
and beautiful robes, and long lines of prisoners,
women and children. And still he looked for
his wife, going through all the streets of
the city, and calHng her name aloud. While
he was doing this her image seemed to stand
before him. It was she, and yet another,
so tall and beautiful did she seem. And the
spirit said: *'Why are you troubled? These
things have come about by the will of the
gods. Jupiter himself has ordered that your
51
iENEID FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
Creiisa should not sail across the seas with
you. You have a long journey to make, and
many seas to cross till you come to the land
of Hesperia, to the place where the river
Tiber flows softly through a fair and fertile
land. There you shall have great prosperity,
and shall marry a wife of royal race. Weep not
for your Creiisa, and do not think that I shall
be carried away to be the bond slave of some
Greek lady. Such a lot would not be fitting
for one who comes, as I come, from the race
of the kings of Troy and for her who was the
daughter-in-law of Venus. The mother of the
gods keeps me in this land to be her servant.
And now farewell. Think sometimes of me,
and love the child Ascanius, for he is your
child and mine."
So spake the spirit; but when ^Eneas would
have answered, it vanished out of his sight.
Three times did he try to put his arms round
her, and three times it seemed to slip away
from him, being thin and light as air. And
now the night was far spent and the morning
was about to break. So he went back to his
comrades and found, much to his joy, that there
were many more than he had hoped to find, a
52
^NEAS AND ANCHISES
great company of men and women, all ready to
follow him wherever he might lead them.
And now the morning star, which goes before
the sun, rose over Mount Ida, and iEneas,
seeing that the Greeks were in possession of
Troy, and that there was no hope of help,
again took his father on his shoulders, and
went his way to the mountains, his people
following him.
53
CHAPTER IV
OF THE VOYAGE OF ^NEAS
CHAPTER IV
OF THE VOYAGE OF ^NEAS
As long as the Greeks remained in the land
of Troy, iEneas and his friends lay hid among
the hills. But they had not to do this for
very long. The Greeks were glad enough
to go to their homes, which they had not
seen for ten years. So they put the spoils
which they had taken out of the city, with
the prisoners, into their ships, and set sail.
Then the Trojans came out of their hiding-
places, and began to cut down pine trees
on Mount Ida — this was the name of the
biggest of the hills, among which they had
taken refuge — and to build ships. They had
made up their minds to leave the land of
Troy, and to find a new home somewhere
else. This was the second time that the
city had been destroyed, and the place seemed
to be unlucky.^ By this time a great number
* It was built again not long afterwards. About twenty years
ago some one, who much wanted to know whether there ever had
57
iENEID FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
of people had come together. Some had
escaped in one way or another from the city;
some had been sold as slaves, and had run
away from their masters, or had been set
free. Many ships, therefore, had to be built;
but in the spring all was ready, and they set
sail; very sorry they were to go, for they
were leaving their country for ever, and they
did not know where they should find another
home.
They had sailed but a very little way when
they came to a country called Thrace. For
a time they thought that this was just the
place which they wanted. The Thracians
had been very good friends to Troy in former
times. While the war was going on many
of their warriors had come to fight for King
Priam. So iEneas began to make a plan
for a city, laying the foundation, and marking
out the lines of streets and squares. But
while he was busy with these things, he
found out in a very strange way, that a
very dreadful deed had been done by the
been a real city such as we read about in Homer, had what was
supposed to be the place dug up. He found the remains of seven
cities, one on the top of the other. The third from the bottom was
Homer's Troy, the Troy of Hector and ^neas.
58
OF THE VOYAGE OF .ENEAS
King of Thrace, and that he had better
go away as fast as he could. What had
happened was this. While Troy was still
standing, King Priam had sent away one of
his sons, and with him a very large quantity
of gold, to the King of Thrace. This man
was an old friend, and Priam thought to
himself: ''If anything should happen to
Troy and to me, still there would be some-
thing safe. There would be the boy to
keep up the old name, and he would have
plenty of money to help him." But when
Troy was taken by the Greeks this wicked
king murdered the poor boy, and kept the
gold for himself. When iEneas found this
out, he said to himself, *'A country where
such wicked things are done is no home
for us," and he set sail again.
The next place which he came to was
an island called Delos. Once, it was said,
it had been a floating island, but then it
was fixed and firm, and it was the place
where Apollo and his sister dwelt, who were
the same, as men believed in those days, as
the sun and the moon. Here there was a
very famous temple of Apollo, and the priest
59
.ENEID FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
of the temple was also the king of the island.
Now Apollo had always been a friend to
Troy, and when the priest knew who the
strangers were that had come to the island,
he went to meet them, and gave them a
kind welcome, and took ^Eneas into his own
palace. Then ^Eneas thought to himself:
'*I will ask the god to tell where I should
go." So he went to the temple, and made
an offering according to custom, and said:
**0 Apollo, hear me, for thou wert always
a friend to Troy. Give, I pray thee, a place
where we, who alone are left, may rest, a
land of our own, and a kingdom that shall
endure for ever. Tell us whither we should
go, whom we should follow, and what we
may look for. And speak plainly, I beseech
thee, so that I may understand." Scarcely
had he ended these words, when there was
heard a loud rumbling sound, and the temples,
and the laurel grove which stood about it,
and the very hills around, were shaken. After
this there came from out the middle of the
temple a clear voice, speaking these words:
''Sons of Troy, go boldly forth; seek the
land where your fathers, who lived in the
60
OF THE VOYAGE OF iENEAS
old time were born; the country which first
sent you out shall welcome you again; then
the house of JEntas shall grow and prosper
till it shall reign over the whole world."
Great was the joy with which ^Eneas and
his followers heard these words. But then
they began to think to themselves: **What
is the land of our fathers ? what is its name ?
where is it?'' nor could any one answer
these questions till old Anchises, after much
turning of the matter over in his mind, said:
"My children, be not troubled or doubtful
any more. I know the meaning of what the
god has told us. There is a famous island
in the southern part of this sea where now
we are, and its name is Crete. This is the
place where great Jupiter himself was born,
and it is sacred to him. Far and wide it
reaches; there are a hundred cities in it;
and there is a Mount Ida, even as there is
in our own land of Troy. It is from this
island of Crete that our fathers came in old
time. One Teucer was their chief; he came
to the land which we have just left, and
dwelt in it in the old days before Troy was
built. Let us set sail without delay, having
6i
^NEID FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
first made such offerings as it is meet to make.
If the winds be favourable, we shall come
to Crete on the third morning from now."
So they made the offerings; one bull to
Neptune, god of the sea; another to Apollo;
a white sheep to the gentle winds, and a
black one to the stormy. They knew, too,
that the King of Crete, who was one of
those that had come to fight against Troy,
had been banished; and they were glad to
think that they should not find an enemy
in the country.
When these things were done, iEneas and
his men set out. They set their sails, and
rowed with their oars, and the sailors shouted
*' Crete!" '* Crete!" so glad were they to
think that they were about to find a home.
In due time they came to the island. And
here again ^neas, being quite sure that he
had found the right place, began to make
plans for a city. In Thrace he had called it
iEnos after himself; but this was to be Per-
gamos, for this had been the name of the
citadel in old Troy. But after a time every-
thing seemed to go wrong. The air seemed
to be poisoned, and the winds that blew
62
OF THE VOYAGE OF ^NEAS
seemed to parch the grass and to blast the
corn. The cattle were destroyed by plague,
and some of the people died, while nearly
all suffered from fever and agues. All this
greatly grieved iEneas, and he made up his
mind to go to Delos and ask Apollo whether
he had made any mistake and whither he really
ought to go.
That very night, when all were asleep, he
only being awake, for he was in too great
trouble to sleep, he saw before him in the
light of the moon, which was shining through
the window of his room, the household gods
which he had carried away from Troy.
Quite plainly did he see them, and he heard
them say these words: "What you are going
to Delos to ask, Apollo bids us tell you here.
We are the gods whom you saved out of the
ruins of burning Troy; we are your com-
panions; we share your fate, we will bring
you to the country which is meant for you,
and from which your children's children will
rule the world. Do not grow weary of
wandering. You must look for another home,
for Crete is not the place in which Apollo
told you to dwell. There is a country called
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iENEID FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
Hesperia, the land of the West; it is an
ancient land; its people are strong and brave.
That is our proper home; it was from this
that our first father came. Tell this then to
the old man, your father, that Apollo bids
you go to Hesperia which men also call Italy.
As for Crete, it is not meant for you."
iEneas lay in his bed and Hstened in a great
fear, for he saw the gods quite plainly and not
at all as if he were dreaming. Then he got
up from his bed, prayed and offered sacrifice,
and afterwards went and told his father what
he had seen and heard. The old man said:
*'I was wrong when I said that Crete was
the place from which our fathers came. And
now I remember that in the days when Troy
still stood Cassandra used to speak about Hes-
peria and Italy. But who would have thought
that we who dwelt in Asia should ever go to
the land of the West? And no one at that
time believed the things which Cassandra
spoke. But now let us obey the commands
of Apollo and depart."
So the Trojans put all that they had on
board their ships and departed. As soon as
they were out of sight of land a great storm
64
OF THE VOYAGE OF .ENEAS
arose. The wind blew fiercely, and the waters
were like mountains, and there was much
thunder and lightning. For three days they
did not see the sun, and for three nights they
did not see the stars, nor did they know where
they were. On the fourth day they came in
sight of land, with hills, and smoke rising as
it might be from the houses of men. So the
sailors rowed with all their might and soon
brought the ships to land.
They found that it was a pleasant island,
with fields in which there were herds of oxen
and flocks of goats feeding; but they could
not see any one who was looking after them.
By this time the Trojans were very tired and
hungry; so they took some of the oxen and
of the goats, and killed them, and cooked
their flesh. Also they fetched wine from
their ships, and sat down, and began to eat
and drink. But they did not know what the
place to which they had come really was or
what kind of creatures lived there. These crea-
tures were called Harpies, a name which means
**Snatchers." These were wicked women who
had been changed into a horrible kind of birds.
They were like vultures which feed on dead
B 65
^NEID FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
bodies, and they had the wings of birds, and
claws instead of hands; they had the faces
of women, but with a look on them as if they
were starving. Suddenly, then, the Trojans,
while eating and drinking, heard a great noise
of wings, and in a moment the Harpies had
come down, and snatched the flesh which the
men were eating, and carried it off; and what
they did not carry off they made so dirty that
no one could bear to have it near him. Then
the Trojans went to another place, which was
close to a rock, and so sheltered in a way.
There they made another dinner ready; but
scarcely had they begun to eat, when the
Harpies came down again — whether from the
same place as before or from another no one
knew — and snatched away the meat again,
and spoilt what was left. Then the Trojans
went to a third spot, and prepared their food;
only this time they hid their swords and
spears in the grass by their sides. When they
saw the Harpies come again, they jumped up
and laid hold of the swords and spears and
tried to kill the creatures. But it was of no
use; their skin was too hard to be wounded;
the steel could not be driven through the
66
OF THE VOYAGE OF ^NEAS
feathers. Still, though they could not be
killed, they were driven away, and flew to their
holes among the clifl^s. Only one remained ;
this settled on a rock out of the reach of the
men, and said these words in a man's voice:
** Listen; was it not enough that you should
kill our cattle ? Will you drive us away from
our own island ? Hear my words, for these
are the words of fate. This is what the gods,
Jupiter and Apollo, whom you think to be
your friends, decree. You will come at last
to the land of Italy; that is settled. But
know that before you build the walls of your
new city you will be so hungry that you will
be driven to eat the very tables on which you
set your meat.''
When the dreadful creature had said these
words, she flew away. Then the old man
Anchises lifted up his hands to the skies, and
prayed that these things might not come
upon them or might be turned to their good.
67
CHAPTER V
OF THE VOYAGE OF ^NEAS (continued)
CHAPTER V
OF THE VOYAGE OF ^NEAS {continued)
That very day iEneas and his people sailed
away from the land of the Harpies. They
passed by many islands of the Greeks, Ithaca
among them, which was the country of
Ulysses. *'A bad place," they said, as they
passed, "and the home of a bad man." Not
far from here they spent the winter, and then,
turning to the west, they came to a country
that was called Epirus. And here ^neas
heard from some one who lived in those parts
a marvellous thing, namely, that there was
not far away a city which had a Trojan king,
and that this king was a son of Priam, and
hat his wife was Andromache, whose first
husband was the brave Hector. Then iEneas
said to himself: "I will go and see whether
this strange tale that they tell me is true."
So he went his way to the city, and when
he came near it, he saw a river, and asked
some one that passed by, "What is the name
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JENEID FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
of this river?" And the man said, ''This is
the Simois." Now there is a river Simois
that runs through the plain of Troy. A Httle
further on he saw a grove, and in the grove an
altar, and by the altar stood Andromache. She
was making offerings to the spirit of Hector,
and wept much as she made them. When she
saw iEneas, and knew his arms, for they were
what the Trojans used to wear, she was very
much afraid, and fainted. When she came
to herself, she said: "Is this that I see
real, or is it a dream ? Is it iEneas whom
I see ? Are you alive ? And, if you are dead,
where is my Hector?" ^Eneas said: ''Yes,
lady, I am alive; this is flesh and blood that
you see, not a ghost. And you ? what has
happened to you ? are you still the wife of
Pyrrhus?"
Andromache answered: "Truly there was
but one among the daughters and the
daughters-in-law of Priam that was happy!
she whom the Greeks slew at the tomb of
Achilles. As for me, who once had Hector
for my husband, I was carried across the sea
as a slave is carried. A slave I was, though
they called me a wife. And when Pyrrhus
72
OF THE VOYAGE OF ^NEAS
wished to marry the daughter of Helen, then
he gave me to Helenus, as one slave is given to
another. But Pyrrhus was slain by Orestes,
who loved the daughter of Helen. And
when he was dead, his kingdom was divided,
and part of it came to Helenus, this country
where we now are. He has built a town and
called it Pergamos, and the river he has called
Simois. But tell me, how came you here?
was it by chance, or did a storm drive you out
of your course ? or did the gods send you ?
And your boy Ascanius, is he alive and well?
Is he strong and brave ? He should be such,
if he has iEneas for his father, and Hector for
his uncle."
While these two were talking Helenus
came from the city and a great train of people
with him, and bade ^Eneas and his company
welcome. And he showed him all the place,
and how everything had been made as like to
Troy as might be. Only at Troy all things
were large, and here all things were small.
Afterwards Helenus made a great feast in his
palace, and they ate and drank and were merry.
After a few days had passed, ^Eneas, seeing
that the wind was favourable for his journey,
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iENEID FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
said to Helenus: '*It is time for us to go.
Tell me now, for you are a wise man, and
know what is going to happen, shall we
prosper? It is the gods who bid us take
this journey, and all things seem to promise
well. But it has been prophesied to us that
we shall have to bear dreadful hunger. Tell
me then what I should do, and what I should
avoid, and for what I should prepare."
Then said Helenus to ^Eneas: ''Let us
come to the temple of Apollo. There, I hope,
the god will put into my mouth the answer
to the questions which you ask."
^ So they went to the temple of Apollo.
And when they had offered sacrifice and
prayed, the spirit of the god came into the
heart of Helenus, and he prophesied: "Son
of Venus, be sure that it is according to the
will of the gods that you are making this
journey. Listen then to me, and learn what
you must do that you may come safely to
the land where you would be, even to Italy.
Some things I do not know, and some that
I know I may not speak, for Juno forbids,
but what I may say is this: First know
that you have yet a long way to go, and
74
OF THE VOYAGE OF ^NEAS
many seas to cross. *^It is true that Italy is
not far from us even here; but it is not in
these parts that you will find your home.
Those evil men, the Greeks, are here, and
you cannot find a dwelling-place among them.
And this shall be a sign to you that you
have come to the right place. You will find
a white sow with thirty little pigs about her.
As to the eating of your tables which the
Harpy prophesied, be not troubled; Apollo
will help you. Sail, therefore, southward
from, this place, and pass by the shore which
you will see on your right hand, though it
is the shore of Italy. And when you have
passed it to the very end, you will come to
the island of Sicily. There you will see a
narrow strait which divides the two; in
old time they were one, but now the sea
flows between them. Venture not into this
strait; it is a terrible place. On the right
hand is Scylla in her cave, and on the left
hand is the whirlpool of Charybdis. Scylla
is a dreadful creature. In part of her she
is like a fair woman, and in part she is like
a monster of the sea, and she has six heads
like to a wolf's head. Go, therefore, all
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round the island of Sicily. It is a long
journey, but it is safe. And when you come
to the other shore of Italy, that which lies
to the setting of the sun, then sail northward.
And remember at all times, and in all places,
to do honour to Juno, that so you may win
her favour. And you will come to a place
called Cumae; there dwells a wise woman
whose name is the Sibyl. Apollo speaks by her
mouth, even as he speaks by mine. Inquire
of her, and she will tell you all that you
should know, what wars you must wage, and
what dangers you must endure, and what you
may avoid. These things I may not speak,
but you shall hear them from her. And now
depart in peace; and wherever you go, re-
member that you are a son of Troy, and make
the Trojan name to be great under heaven."
Then the prophet told his people to bring
gifts for his departing friends, gold, and carvings
of ivory, and caldrons, and a coat of chain mail,
and a helmet with a plume, which Pyrrhus
himself had worn. Horses also he gave, and
tackling for the ships, and arms for the men.
Also he gave iEneas guides who knew the
way. And he bade them all a kind farewell,
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OF THE VOYAGE OF ^NEAS
especially the old man Anchises, as one whom
he should not see again. Andromache also
came, bringing a Phrygian cloak for Ascanius,
and other fine things for him to wear. And
she said to the boy: ''Take these things to
show that she who was once Hector's wife
loves you well. Yes, for you are the very
image of my own dear boy, whom they killed
so cruelly. Your eyes and face and hands are
like his, and indeed, if he were alive, he would
be of the same age as you." Then ^Eneas
bade them farewell: ** Happy you," he said,
''whose wanderings are finished, who have
found your rest. You have no seas to cross;
you have not to seek this land of Italy, which
seems to fly before us, as we follow it. You
have another Troy here before your eyes.
Farewell, and know that if ever I come to
this land of Italy, there shall be friendship be-
tween you and me, and between your children
and my children for ever."
After this they sailed away. And when it
was night, they drew their ships to land, and
slept upon the shore, but at midnight the
chief pilot, whose name was Palinurus, roused
himself and looked up at the sky, and took a
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note of the weather. And when he saw that
the stars were bright, the Great Bear and the
Little Bear, and Orion, with his beh of gold,
he thought to himself: *' These are signs of
fair weather; we will not lose the time." So
he blew the trumpet which was a signal for
starting. And all the men awoke and launched
their ships. Through the darkness they rowed,
and when the morning was growing red in
the east, they looked, and behold ! there was
a land with hills to be seen far away, and a
shore lying low. Then the old man Anchises
cried, ''This is the land of Italy." And he
filled a great golden cup with wine, and stand-
ing on the stern poured it out, saying: ''Gods
of the sea and of the land, give us fair winds
and an easy journey."
But when they came so near that they could
see what there was on the shore, the old man
looked again, and saw four white horses, and
he said: "What the prophet said was true.
This is a land of enemies; for a horse is a
sign of war; still, because horses may be
trained to obey and to bear the bit, we will
hope that after war there will be peace."
Then the Trojans trimmed their sails, and
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OF THE VOYAGE OF ^NEAS
bore to the right, that is westward, lest some
enemy should set upon them, for they knew
that there were Greeks in the land. After a
while they came to the place of which Helenus
had told them. And when Anchises heard
the roaring of the sea and saw how the waves
seemed to rise up to the very sky, he said:
"Here is Scylla, and here is Charybdis.
Row, my comrade^, low with all your might.''
This they did, and Palinurus, the pilot, being
in the foremost ship, steered to the left, and
all the other ships followed him. And the
sailors rowed as hard as they could, and at last,
as the sun was setting, they came to a quiet
harbour, well sheltered from the sea. Into
this they brought their ships, and would have
rested during the night. But Mount ^Etna
was close by, and from it there came, without
ceasing, thunders, and clouds of smoke, and
showers of stones, and a great flood of melted
rocks. The story is that a great giant lies
under the mountain. He rebelled against
Jupiter, and Jupiter laid him under the moun-
tain as a punishment. And when he is tired
of lying on one side, they say, he turns to
the other, and the whole land is shaken.
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But the Trojans knew nothing of the matter,
and they lay trembling all the night.
In the morning they saw some one coming
to them out of the wood which was close
by. He was a most miserable creature to
look at; his clothes were nothing but rags,
fastened together with thorns, and he seemed
to be half dying of hunger. They knew,
when they saw him, that he was a Greek,
and he knew them to be Trojans. For a
little time he stood, as if he would have
run away; but then ran as fast as he could,
and threw himself on his knees, crying out:
"Men of Troy, I pray you by the stars and
by the gods, and by the air which you
breathe, take me away from this dreadful
place. Take me whither you choose; or,
if you will, drown me in the sea. I con-
fess that I am a Greek; I confess that I
fought against Troy. If I must die, let me
at least die by the hands of men."
And he caught hold of ^Eneas by the
knees. And ^neas said: **Who are you?
how come you to be in this plight?"
The man answered: "I am a man of
Ithaca, and I went to the war against Troy
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OF THE VOYAGE OF JENEAS
with Ulysses. And as we were going home,
we came to this land. And Ulysses wished
to see who dwelt here. So he took twelve
of his men, of whom I was one. We came
to a great cave and found that it was the
home of a shepherd. And Ulysses said: *It
is a rich shepherd that lives here; let us
stay till he comes; maybe he will give us
something.' But when he came, lo! he
was a dreadful, man-eating giant. He shut
us up in the cave, and devoured two of us
that night, and two the next morning, and
two again for his supper. But after his
supper Ulysses gave him wine to drink, and
made him tipsy ; and put out his eye —
he had one only in the middle of his fore-
head — as he lay asleep. The next day the
others escaped, but I was left. And now I
say, fly as soon as you can from this place;
for this monster, indeed, may not harm you,
for he is blind, but there are a hundred
others, as big as he and as cruel, who live
in this land. Flee, therefore, I say, and
either kill me or take me with you." While
he was speaking the Cyclops, that is to say.
Round Eye, came in sight, with his flocks
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following him. He was a horrible creature
to behold, very big and shapeless and bhnd.
He came down to the sea, and waded out,
and though he went many yards from the
shore, yet the waves did not come up to his
middle, and he washed the place where his
eye had been, grinding his teeth the while.
Then the Trojans, taking the Greek on board,
pushed off from the land, and the monster
heard the sound of their rowing, and shouted
aloud to his fellows. They hurried down to
the shore, and the Trojans saw them stand,
tall as a grove of oaks or cypresses. Then,
by favour of the gods, a north wind blew
and carried them away, and they sailed on
till they came to the southernmost part of
the island, and after that to a place which
men call Drepanum, that is to say, the reaping
hook, for the harbour is of the shape of
such a hook. There the old man Anchises
died and was buried.
82
CHAPTER VI
THE SHIPWRECK
CHAPTER VI
THE SHIPWRECK
Not many days after the burial of Anchises
JEneas and his companions set sail. Now
the goddess Juno hated the Trojans for many
reasons, the chief of which was this. There
was a certain city which she greatly loved,
Carthage by name. It was just then being
built by Queen Dido, and Juno hoped, if
it might be possible, to make it the iSrst
city in the world. But she had been told
that this could not be done, that the first
city in the world would be one that the
Trojans would build in Italy. And now she
saw these very Trojans sailing from Sicily
to this same land of Italy. They had
wandered, as we have seen, for several years,
and now they were about to find a home.
She was very angry to see this, and said
to herself: ''Am I then to be disappointed?
Shall I not be able to keep these Trojans
from settling in Italy? Minerva burnt a
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whole fleet of Greeks, and drowned the men,
because she was angry with one of them,
even Ajax. She took Jupiter's own thunder-
bohs, and broke the ships with them. As
for Ajax, she caught him up in a whirl-
wind, and dashed him upon the sharp point
of a rock, so that he was pierced through.
She could do this, and I, though I am
Jupiter's own wife and sister, can do nothing
against these Trojans! Who will honour me?
Who will offer sacrifices to me, if I can
do nothing?"
Then she went to a certain rocky island
where iEolus, the king of the winds, lived.
He had a great prison there in which he
kept the winds under bolt and bar. This
he had been set to do by Jupiter because
if they were not so kept in they would
blow away heaven and earth in their rage.
Juno said to him: "King .$^olus, Jupiter
has given you the kingdom of the winds
that you may do with them as you will.
A nation which I hate is sailing across the
sea from Sicily to Italy. Loose the winds
upon them, and drown their ships in the
sea. And now hear what I will give you
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THE SHIPWRECK
if you will do this. I have twelve beautiful
nymphs that wait on me; the most beautiful
of them you shall have for your wife."
King iEolus said: *'0 mighty Juno, it
is for you to speak and for me to obey.
It is of your kindness that I am king of
the winds, and that I am allowed to sit at
the table of the gods." As he spoke he
struck the great gates of the prison with
his spear, and broke them in. In a moment
the winds rushed out, and swept across the
sea, making great waves before them. It
was not long before they reached the Trojans'
ships, for the island of tEoIus was near to
where they were sailing. In a moment the
sky was hidden, and the day became as dark
as the night, and there were lightnings and
thunders all about.
When iEneas saw all this he grew cold
with fear. He was not afraid of spears and
swords in the battle, but it was a wretched
thing, he thought, to be drowned. **0 happy
they," he cried, stretching out his hands,
**who fell under the walls of Troy, before
their fathers' eyes ! O Diomed, bravest of the
great, I would that you had slain me, even as
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Hector was slain by the spear of Achilles, and
many a brave Trojan with him, whose bodies
the river Simois rolled down to the sea ! "
While he was speaking, a great gust of wind
struck the sails of his ship from behind, and
turned it broadside to the waves. Three other
ships were tossed on to certain rocks which
are in those parts. Men call them altars be-
cause they are flat, and sometimes they are
covered with the waves, and sometimes they
show above them. Three ships were tossed
upon quicksands which were in those parts,
and others were sadly shattered by the waves.
And one was sunk outright. This was the
one in which the Lycians with their chief
Orontes sailed. The Lycians were friends of
the Trojans, and had come a long way to help
them, and were now going with them in their
wanderings. iEneas was very sorry to see the
broken planks, and the precious things floating
about, and a few men swimming in the waves,
for most of them were drowned.
It was not long before Neptune, the ruler
of the sea, heard the noise of the winds and
waves, where he sat in his palace at the bottom
of the sea. He lifted his head above the
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THE SHIPWRECK
waves, and saw how the ships were scattered,
and he knew that his sister Juno had done
this because she hated the Trojans. He
called with a loud voice, which could be
heard even above the storm, and said:
*'What is this that you are doing, O winds?
Why are you troubling Heaven without my
leave ? I will but I had best make the
sea calm again; only be sure that if you do
this again you will be punished. Go and
tell your king that it is I who am the king
of the sea, not he; let him keep to his rocks
and make the winds obey him."
Then he commanded the waves to be still;
also he scattered the clouds, and he brought
back the sun. At his bidding other gods of
the sea came to help. They lifted the ships
off the rocks, and drew them out of the quick-
sands. And when this had been done he com-
manded that his chariot should be brought,
and he rode in it across the sea, and as he
went a great calm fell upon it. It was just as
happens when there is a riot in a city, and the
people are furious, and throw stones and burn-
ing torches about, till suddenly there comes
among them some one whom they all honour;
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a good man and true. When he speaks they
all listen to him, and the riot ceases.
Then ^Eneas and his companions made for
the nearest shore. And this was the land of
Africa, for they had been driven far out of
their course. There they found a harbour
running far into the land, so far that the
water is quite calm within; on either side
were high cliffs, and woods upon them. At the
far end of the harbour was a cave, and a spring
of sweet water. To this place ^Eneas came,
with seven ships, all the rest being scattered
about. Right glad were they to stand again
on dry land. And one of them struck a spark
out of a flint, and they lighted a fire with
leaves and dry branches. They took also some
of the wheat which they had with them
in the ships, and parched it by the fire, and
ground it, making it fit to eat. While they
were doing this, iEneas climbed a hill which
was close by, thinking that he might see some
of the other ships. These he could not see,
but he saw below him three great stags, and a
herd of deer following them. Then he took
the bow and the arrows which his companion,
Achates by name, was carrying, and let fly.
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THE SHIPWRECK
He killed the three great stags, and four out
of the herd, making seven, one for each ship.
These the men fetched. Also they took wine
out of the ships; for King Acestes, who had
entertained them in Sicily, had given them a
good store of wine to take with them. So
they made ready to feast. Some of the deer's
flesh they broiled on spits, and some they
boiled in water. And they drank of the wine,
and were not a little comforted. And after
supper they talked of their friends who were
absent, wondering whether they were alive or
dead.
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CHAPTER VII
CARTHAGE
CHAPTER VII
CARTHAGE
The next day ^Eneas set forth to see what
the land to which they had come might be.
First he hid the ships in a bay which was
well covered with trees, and then he went, and
Achates with him. In each hand he carried
a spear with a broad point. As he went his
mother Venus met him. She had taken the
shape of a girl, wearing the dress of a Spartan
huntress. On her shoulders she carried a bow,
and her hair was loose, and her tunic was short
to the knees, and her upper garment fastened
with a knot. The false huntress said to them :
"Stranger, tell me whether you have seen
one of my sisters hereabouts. She has a bow
and a quiver, and has the skin of a spotted
lynx round her."
iEneas answered: "O lady, I have not seen
such an one as you speak of! Lady, I call you,
but you seem to be more than mortal woman,
such is your look and such your voice. Surely
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you must be a goddess, perhaps the sister of
Phoebus, or one of the nymphs who wait upon
her. Whoever you are, look kindly on us, and
help us. Tell us now what is this land to
which the winds have driven us, for we know
not what it is, or who dwell in it."
Venus said: ''I am no goddess as you
think, stranger. It is the custom for us girls
of Tyre to carry a bow and a quiver, and
to wear the dress of a huntress. For it is
a Tyrian city to which I belong though the
country is Africa. Our queen is ^ido, and
she came to this land from Tyre, flying from
the wicked king, who was brother to her hus-
band. This husband was a certain Sichaeus,
who was the richest of the Tyrians, and there
was great love between him and his wife.
But the king of the country was very greedy
after gold, and he made a quarrel with his
brother Sichaeus, and took him unaware, even
when he was doing sacrifice at the altar,
and killed him. For a long time the king
hid the matter from Dido, saying that he
had sent her husband on some great business
from which he would get much honour, and
that he would soon come again. But at last
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CARTHAGE
she saw in her dreams the Hkeness of her
husband, and he showed her his wounds, and
told her how he had been killed. Then he
bade her fly from the land as quickly as she
could, and he told her of a place where much
treasure, silver and gold and precious stones,
was hidden in the earth. So Dido made
everything ready for flight, and when she
looked for companions, she found many; for
not a few hated the king, and not a few feared
him. So they laid hold of certain ships that
were ready — and there were many ships at
Tyre — and laded them with gold, and fled
across the sea. And all this was done by
the leading of a woman, even Dido. So
they came to this place, where they are
building the citv of Carthage. So much land
did Queen Dido buy from the king of the
country as could be enclosed with a bull's
hide. Only know that they cut the bull's
hide into many strips, so that they could
enclose a large space with it. And now tell
me; whence do you come, and whither are
you going?"
iEneas answered: "O lady, if I should
tell all my story, night would fall before I
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could come to an end. We are men of Troy;
we have wandered over many seas for now
seven years, and have been driven by a storm
on to this land of Africa. As for me, men
call me ^Eneas. My race is of Jupiter him-
self, and the land which I seek is Italy.
With twenty ships did I set sail from the
island of Sicily, going on the way on which
the gods sent me. Twenty ships I had, and
now I have but seven; Europe and Asia
have cast me out, and now I am wandering
over the desert plains of Africa." Venus
answered him: ''Do not think, stranger,
whoever you are, that the gods are against
you; they are your friends if they have
brought you to this city of Carthage. Go
on, therefore, and show yourself to Queen
Dido. As for your ships and your com-
panions, do not be afraid, for they are safe.
Look up now into the sky. Do you not
see those twenty swans, flying happily in
the air? See now an eagle swoops down
upon them, and they are scattered. You
look again; they are in order once more,
and now they are coming down to the earth,
and some are settling on the ground, and
98
CARTHAGE
some are about to settle. So shall it be
with your ships."
When the false huntress had said this, she
turned away, and there seemed to shine a
rosy light from her neck as she turned, and
there was a sweet smell, as of some heavenly
perfume, and the tunic that was short to
the knee seemed to grow to her feet. Then
iEneas perceived that she was indeed his
mother, and he cried: "O my mother, why
do you mock me again and again with these
false shows? Why do you not let me put
my hand in yours and speak with you face
to face ? " Then he went on towards the
city, and Achates with him. But no one
could see them, for Venus covered them
with a mist lest any should stop them to
inquire their business or hinder them in
any way. So the two hastened on, and they
came to a hill which overlooked the city,
and they saw how great and fine it was,
with high gates and broad streets, and a great
multitude of men and women walking to
and fro. Some were building the walls and
the citadel, and others marked out the places
where houses should be built. Also they
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were choosing judges and magistrates. And
some digged harbours, for Carthage was to
be, as Tyre, a city of many ships, and others
laid the foundations of a theatre, and cut
out columns from the rock to make it fine
to look at. They were like bees in the early
summer. The young swarms go out from
the hive, and they labour, filling the cells
with honey, and some take the loads from
those that come back, and others keep oflf
the drones. When iEneas saw them, he
cried: *' Happy men who have found a city
to dwell in!"
Now there was in the very middle of the
city a thick wood of trees. Here, when
Dido and her people had first come to the
place, there had been digged out of the
ground a horse's head; and when they saw
it, they were very glad, for it had been told
them that this should be a sign to them of
good things, namely that their city should
be great in war, and should have great riches.
Here Dido was building a great temple to
Juno. Very splendid it was, with door-posts
and gates of bronze, and a great flight of
steps leading to it. Into this temple iEneas
100
CARTHAGE
and Achates entered, and he saw upon the
walls pictures of the battles which the
Trojans and Greeks had fought at Troy.
Then iEneas said to his companion: "Is
there any land which is not filled with oui;
troubles? Yet it is good to know that these
are not barbarians, that they have praise to
give to courage, and tears for the sorrows of
men. Fear not, my friend. It will be good
for us that these people know what we have
done and suffered. " Then he turned to look
at the paintings which were upon the walls,
and was well pleased to see them. In one
he saw how the Trojans were driving the
Greeks before them, and in another how they
were flying from Achilles. Also he saw the
white tents of Rhesus, King of Thrace, who
came to help the Trojans, and was slain by
Diomed, and his horses driven to the camp
of the Greeks, before they had eaten the grass
of the Trojan plains or drunk of their streams.
For it had been prophesied that if they should
do this but once, Troy never should be taken.
Also they saw how Troilus had met Achilles
in battle, and had been conquered by him,
for, indeed, he was no match for him. There
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he lay dead in his chariot, his hand holding
still the reins, but his head and shoulders were
dragged upon the earth, and the point of his
spear made ' a trail in the dust. In another
place the Trojan women went as suppliants
to the temple of Minerva, taking a most
beautiful robe for an offering; they stood
before the goddess, beating their breasts, but
the goddess turned away her head. Also he
saw Achilles dragging the body of Hector
round the walls of Troy. In another place
he was selling the body for gold. iEneas
groaned to see the man whom he had loved,
and old Priam the king, whom he had him-
self beheld slain by Pyrrhus. And he saw,
moreover, himself fighting in the midst of the
Greek chiefs ; also black Memnon, son of the
morning, who had come from the eastern land
to help the Trojans, bringing a great host
with him, and the Queen of the Amazons,
and her warrior women with her, all of them
carrying shields shaped like the moon. She
was very fierce to look at ; one of her breasts
was bare, and she had a girdle of gold about
her. She was but a girl, yet she dared to
fight with men.
102
CHAPTER Vin
DIDO
CHAPTER VIII
DIDO
While iEneas was looking at these pictures,
Queen Dido herself came, with a great crowd
of youths following her. She was the most
beautiful of women. Not Diana herself could
be more fair to look at when she dances
with the nymphs, by head and shoulders
taller than them all. When Dido came to
the gate of the temple, she sat down upon
a throne to do such things as are the work
of a queen, to do justice between man and
man, and to give to each his portion of
work.
In a short time there was heard a loud
shouting and the noise of a crowd of men,
and iEneas perceived that a great company
was coming to the temple, and when they
came nearer, he saw that they were his
friends from whom he had been parted by
the storm. Right glad was he to see them,
for he had feared very much that they had
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been lost. But they were all there, all, that
is, except Orontes the Lycian and his crew.
iEneas much wished to come forth and take
them by the hand, and greet them, but he
thought it better to stay where he was till
he should hear their story, and see how
the queen would behave to them.
Then the chief man among them, having
had leave given him to speak, said: "O
queen, we beseech you to receive us kindly,
not to hurt our ships, and to let us dwell
in peace till we can go away. Jupiter has
had pity on you and allowed you to build
a city; do you have pity on us. We are
not come to this land to lay it waste, or
to carry its spoils to our ships. There are
men who do such things, but we are not
of their kind. No; we have ourselves
suffered too much. Our own city has been
destroyed, and we are on our way to build
another in the land of Italy. But as we
were sailing across the sea a great storm
sprang up, and scattered our ships, and those
whom you now see before you are all that
are left. There is no nation so savage but
that it is kind to shipwrecked men. Or if
1 06
DIDO
there are some who are so wicked as to
harm them, them the gods do not forget to
punish. We had a king, ^Eneas by name;
never was any one who better did his duty
to God and man, or who was a greater
warrior. If he be yet ahve, then we fear
nothing. You will be glad to help such a
man as he is. But if he is dead, then we
have other friends, as King Acestes of Sicily.
Give us leave therefore to lay up our ships
in a safe place, to fit them with new timber
from the woods, and to make new oars
instead of those that have been broken by
the storm. If our king and his companions
are yet alive, then we will find them, and
will travel with them to the land of Italy.
But if he is dead and his son Ascanius also,
then we go back to Sicily where there is a
dwelling ready for us."
Dido said: '*Be of good cheer, men of
Troy. If we seemed to be unfriendly, it was
because, being here in a strange land, we
have to keep watch over our coasts. But
now that we know who you are, we bid
you welcome. Who, indeed, has not heard
of Troy, and its valiant sons? Think not
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that we here in Carthage are so dull or so
far away from the world that we do not
know these things. Be sure, therefore, that
whatever you are minded to do, whether
to go to Italy, or to return to Sicily, we
will give you all the help that you want.
Or if you will settle here and dwell with
us, be it so, I will make no difference between
man of Troy and man of Tyre. Would that
your king were here also! I will send men
to seek him through all the land of Africa."
Achates said to iEneas: "Do you hear
this? Our comrades are all safe; only they
whom we saw drowned before our eyes are
absent. Let us go forth."
While he was speaking, the cloud that
was round them rolled away, and showed
the two men to all the company. As for
iEneas, his mother made him more beautiful
to look at than he had ever been in all his
life before. He stood before the queen and
said: *'0 queen, I am the man whom you
are seeking, ^Eneas of Troy, escaped from
the waters of the sea. May the gods reward
you for your kindness, because you have felt
pity for all the great troubles of Troy, and
1 08
DIDO
because you are willing to give us, poor
strangers as we are, a share in your city.
So long as the rivers run to the sea, and
the shadows fall among the hills, so long will
your name be famous. I truly, whether I
come to the land of Italy or not, shall never
forget it." And he shook the hands of his
friends, telling them how glad he was to be
with them again.
After a while Dido spoke: "What ill
fortune has brought you into such troubles ?
How is it that you have been driven to these
savage coasts? I remember well how in the
old days one Teucer came to Sidon. He
had been banished from his own country, and
he sought help from Belus, my grandfather.
Much did he tell us about Troy and its
chiefs. He praised them much, and said that
he was of the same race in the beginning.
Come, therefore, to my palace, and I will
give you all that you want. I too have
suffered much, and have wandered far. I
have known many sorrows myself, and I have
learnt to help them that are in trouble."
Thus the queen and all her company and
iEneas and the Trojans went to the palace.
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There a great feast was prepared; twenty
oxen and a hundred swine and a hundred
sheep were made ready. And the seats for
the guests were covered with purple, and the
great cups of gold and silver were brought
forth from the places where they were kept,
and the tables were adorned with all kinds
of jewels and precious things.
While these things were being done ^neas
sent Achates to the ships to fetch the boy
Ascanius, and to bring with him some gifts for
the queen. There was a mantle, stiff with
gold embroidery, which had belonged to the
fair Helen. She had had it from Leda her
mother. Also there was a sceptre which the
eldest of the daughters of King Priam had been
wont to carry, and a necklace of pearls, and a
crown which had one circle of gold and
another circle of precious stones.
Then they sat down to the feast; and when
they had eaten enough, Dido called for a
great cup from which her grandfather Belus
and all the kings before him had been wont
to drink, and bade them fill it to the brim.
Then she said: "O Jupiter, who art the god of
hosts and guests, make this day a day of joy
no
DIDO
for the men of Troy and the men of Tyre,
and grant that their children may remember
it for ever/' When she had said this, she
touched it with her Hps, and handed it to
Prince Bitias. He drank from it a mighty
draught, and all the princes of Tyre and the
Trojan chiefs did the same. After this a
minstrel sang a great song about the making
of men and beasts and of the stars and of the
order of day and night and of the year. Also
the queen asked many questions about Priam
and Troy. At last she turned to iEneas and
said: "Tell us now about the taking of Troy,
and about the places which you have seen in
your wanderings." iEneas answered: *'It is
a sad story, O queen, and the time is late.
Nevertheless, if you will have it so, I will
tell the story." So he told his story to the
company.
After this iEneas and the Trojans stopped
for many days in Carthage. Queen Dido
loved him, and she made him her guest, and
he lived in such ease and pleasure that he
almost forgot all about the land of Italy, and
the city which he was to build there.
But this did not please Jupiter. He said,
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^NEID FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
therefore, to Mercury his messenger: "Go
now and speak to JEneas these words: 'Thus
speaks the king of gods and men. Is this
what your mother wished when she saved you
twice from the spear of the Greeks? Are
you the man who is to build a city in Italy;
a city which shall rule the world ? If you
forget these things, think of your son. Why
do you take from him the kingdom that
is to be his ? What are you doing here ?
Why are you not looking to Italy? Depart
at once.'"
So Mercury put his sandals on his feet, the
sandals which have wings wherewith to fly,
and he took his wand in his hand, and
flew down from heaven. First he came to
Mount Atlas, which is in the land of Africa.
And from the top of Atlas he shot down,
as a hawk shoots down after a bird, and came
to iEneas where he stood in the middle of the
city of Carthage. He had a cloak of purple,
embroidered with gold, round his shoulders,
and a great sword in his hand. Mercury
gave him the message of Jupiter, and when
he had finished it, he vanished.
For a time ^Eneas stood, not knowing what
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DIDO
to do. He knew, indeed, that he was called
to Italy, that he might do the will of the
gods. And yet he feared to tell the thing
to the queen. At last he called his chiefs
together and said: **Make ready the ships,
and collect the people ; but do this as secretly
as you may, and say nothing."
When Dido heard it — for such things are
not easily hidden — she was wild with anger
and love. First she came and spoke to iEneas,
telling him what she had done for him and
his people, and reproaching him for his in-
gratitude. Also she tried to keep him by
telling him of the dangers of the voyage.
"Stay awhile," she said, "till the stormy
winds are over, and you can sail across the
seas with safety." And when she could not
persuade him, then she sent her sister Anna,
if perhaps, he would hsten to her.
But iEneas stood firm. Jupiter had bidden
him go, and go he must. So, when the ships
had been made ready for the voyage, he set
sail, secretly and by night. And when Dido
looked out from the window of her palace in
the morning, lo ! the ships of the Trojans were
gone. Then she made up her mind that
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she would die. She had prepared a great pile
of wood. On this she laid the sword of
iEneas, which he had left behind him, and his
cloak and other things which had belonged
to him, and sundry possessions of her own.
To this pile she set fire, and then she mounted
to the top, and took the sword of iEneas
in her hands, and stabbed herself with it.
So she died, and the fire laid hold of the wood
and made a great burning, which could be
seen far off.
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CHAPTER IX
THE FUNERAL GAMES OF ANCHISES
CHAPTER IX
THE FUNERAL GAMES OF ANCHISES
Meanwhile the ships of .(Eneas were sailing
across the sea. As they looked back to the
shore which they had left they saw great
flames rising up into the sky. What this
meant they did not know; but they were
sure that Dido was very angry, and they
feared that she might do some very terrible
thing.
Before long there were signs of a great
storm. And Palinurus, who was the chief
pilot, seeing how dark the sky had grown,
said: "What do these clouds mean? What
is Father Neptune going to do next?" Then
he turned to ^Eneas and said: *'We cannot
get to Italy while the wind blows from this
quarter; no, not even when Jupiter himself
has promised it to us. Let us clear the decks,
and let the men put out their oars to row,
and let them shift the sails. The harbours
of Sicily are near; let us make for them."
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iEneas answered: ''You say well; let us
shape our course for Sicily. There is no
country which I would sooner see, for there
my dear father Anchises is buried."
So they shifted their course, and let their
ships run before the wind, and came in a
very short time to the island of Sicily. Now
Acestes, the king of the country, was the son
of a Trojan woman. He had before enter-
tained iEneas and his people very kindly, and
now, when he saw their ships coming towards
the land, for he happened to be standing on the
top of a hill, he was very glad, and he made
haste to meet them. He came to the shore,
having a lion's skin about his shoulders, and
carrying a spear in his hand. He greeted
them with many words of kindness, and
sent a supply of food and drink to the
ships.
The next day, early in the morning, ^neas
called all the Trojans to an assembly, and said
to them: *'My friends, it is a full year since
we buried my dear father in this land of
Sicily; yes, if I remember right, this is the
very day. Let us keep it holy therefore.
That, indeed, would I do, wherever I might
ii8
FUNERAL GAMES OF ANCHISES
be, whether saiUng over the sea, or wandering
among the lands of Africa, or even if I were
shut up in some city of the Greeks. Much
more, therefore, let us keep it here, seeing
that we are in a friendly land, and keep it as
solemnly as we can. And let us make a vow
to keep it year by year in the land of Italy,
if so be that we ever come to it. And now
King Acestes gives us oxen for our feasts, two
oxen for every ship. Therefore let us make
merry and rejoice. And if the ninth day from
this be fair, then we will have great games in
honour of my dear father. There shall be
a contest of ships, and running in a race, and
games of throwing the javelin, and of shooting
with the bow, and of boxing. And now make
ready for the sacrifice.'"
First he put on his head a wreath of myrtle,
for myrtle was the plant which his mother
most loved. King Acestes did the same,
and so did the boy Ascanius and all the
Trojans. Then he came up to the tomb of
his father, and poured out on it two cups of
wine and two cups of pure milk, and scattered
flowers over it, and said: ** These gifts to thee,
my father! The gods did not suffer thee to
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see the land of Italy, but we will do thee
honour to-day."
While he was speaking a great snake came
out of the tomb. Very big he was, and all the
colours of the rainbow seemed to be mixed on
his back. iEneas looked, wondering to see
him; while he looked, the snake crept up to
the altar, and tasted the sacrifice which had
been put upon it, and the wine and the milk.
JEntas could not think what this strange thing
might mean. So he made fresh offerings, two
sheep and two pigs, and two black oxen.
Other Trojans also brought sheep and oxen,
and sacrificed them on the tomb. And they
roasted the flesh with fire — only some parts
they burnt — and feasted on it.
And now the ninth day came, and the
weather was fine. There came great crowds
of people to see the games, for all that dwelt
in the island knew the name of King Acestes.
Many came to see the Trojans, and many for
the sake of the games, desiring to win the
prizes if they might. First the prizes were
put in the midst for all to see. There were
crowns of palm, and swords, and spears, and
purple garments, and talents of gold and silver.
1 20
FUNERAL GAMES OF ANCHISES
And at the time that had been appointed the
trumpet sounded to show that the games should
begin.
First came the race of ships. Four ships
there were to try for the prize. The four
were the Sea-Horse, of which Mnestheus was
the captain, the Chimara of Gyas, the Centaur
of Sergestus, and the Scylla of Cloanthus. Far
out to sea there was a rock. The waves beat
over it when the sea was rough; but on a
calm day it could be seen above the water,
and the sea-birds loved to stand on it and bask
in the sun. On this rock iEneas fastened a
bough of an oak tree; the ships were to go
round it and so home. First the captains cast
lots for places. Then they took their places,
each on the stern of his ship, wearing purple
cloaks with gold lace upon them. The rowers
had each a garland upon his head, but they
were stripped for rowing, and their bodies
were anointed with oil. So they sat upon the
benches, with their hands stretched out, ready
to dip their oars in the water for a stroke.
And when the trumpet sounded the rowers
dipped their oars, and rowed with all their
might, and each ship leapt forward. Great
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was the noise of the shouting, for the people
favoured this captain or that. First of all
came Gyas with the Chimcdray and next to
him Cloanthus with the Scylla. He had the
stronger crew, but his ship was by much the
heavier of the two. After these two came
the Sea-Horse and the Centaur, being about
equal, for now one was ahead, and now the
other. When they were now near to the
rock Gyas cried out to his steersman: *'Why
do you go so much to the right ? Keep closer
to the rock. Let others choose the sea if
they will; I like the shortest course." But
the man was afraid of rocks that could not be
seen beneath the sea, and still kept the ship's
head seaward. Gyas cried again: *'Now
make for the rock!" While he was speak-
ing the Scylla came up and took the inner
course between the Chimcera and the rock,
and passed it, taking the first place. Then
Gyas was so angry that he wept for very
rage, and he took the steersman by the waist
and threw him into the sea, and he took the
rudder himself, and turned the ship to the
rock. As for the steersman, being old and
cumbered with his cloak, he could scarcely
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FUNERAL GAMES OF ANCHISES
reach the rock. And when the people saw
him thrown into the sea, and they saw how
he swam to the rock, and cUmbed on it and
sat, spitting out the sah water, they laughed.
When the captains of the other two ships
saw what had happened they began to hope
that they too might win a prize. Mnestheus
in the Sea-Horse seeing that the Centaur still
kept in front of him ran among his men as
they rowed — there was a plank from one end
of the ship to the other — crying out : " My
friends, do your best, as you have always done,
whether in battle or in storms. The first place
I do not seek, but I would not come back
last." Then the rowers stretched out forward
and threw themselves back, rowing with all
their might. The Centaur they soon passed,
for it was steered so close to the rock that it
struck on a piece which jutted out, and the
oars were broken and the bow stuck fast.
While the crew were pushing it off with poles
and the like the Sea-Horse got well ahead.
And next it passed the Chtmcera, for this had
lost its steersman, and the captain did not
know how to keep a straight course. And
now only the Scylla was left, and the Sea-Horse
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pressed hard on it. And all the people
shouted out, for it pleased them much to
see that the ship which had been last was
now likely to be first. Then Cloanthus, who
was captain of the Scylla, stretched out his
hands and prayed to the gods of the sea that
they would help him. ''Help me," he said;
"help me, and I will offer a milk-white bull
and much pure wine at your altar." And
they heard the prayer, and one of them put
out his hand, and caught hold of the keel of
the ship, and sent it on, as quick as an arrow
flies from the bow-string, so that it came to
the shore first of the four. Then iEneas put
a crown of bay-leaves about the captain's head,
and gave to the rowers three oxen and jars of
wine and a talent of silver. The other two
also had gifts. And when Sergestus came with
the Centaur, with half of its oars broken, just
like to a serpent which the wheel of a waggon
has maimed in the road, iEneas gave him a
reward, for he had at least brought the ship
and the crew safely back.
Next came the foot race. For this there
came many, both Trojans and men of Sicily.
Foremost among them all were Nisus and
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FUNERAL GAMES OF ANCHISES
Euryalus, between whom there was a very
close friendship. After them came Diores,
who was of the house of King Priam; after
him SaUus, a Greek, and two young hunters,
who were of the court of King Acestes, and
many others. iEneas said: "I will give gifts
to all who run; none shall go away empty.
To the first three I will give crowns of olive.
The first also shall have a horse with its trap-
pings ; the second a quiver full of arrows, and
a belt with which to fasten it; the third must
be content with a Greek helmet."
Then all the men stood in a line, and
when the signal was given they started. For
a short time they were all close together.
Then Nisus outran the rest. Next to him
came Salius, but there was a long space be-
tween them; and next to Salius was Euryalus.
The fourth was one of the king's courtiers,
Helymus by name, and close behind him the
Trojan Diores. When they had nearly come
to the end of the course, by bad luck Nisus
slipped in the blood of an ox which had been
slain in the place, and fell. But as he lay
on the ground he did not forget his friend
Euryalus, for he lifted himself from the
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ground just as Salius came running in, and
tripped him up. So Euryalus had the first place,
Helymus was second, and Diores third. But
SaUus loudly complained that he had been
cheated. "I had won the first prize," he
cried, "had not this Nisus tripped me up.'*
But the people favoured Euryalus, for he was
a comely lad; Diores also was on the same
side, for otherwise he had not won the third
prize. "Then," said iEneas, "I will not
change the order; let them take the prizes
as they come — Euryalus the first, Helymus
the second, and Diores the third. Never-
theless I will have pity on the man who suf-
fered not from his own fault." And he gave
to Salius a lion's skin, of which the mane and
the claws were covered with gold. Then
Nisus said : " If you are giving prizes to these
who are beaten, then think of me, for I was
first, and slipped, having the same bad luck of
which Salius complains." And he showed
his face and body all covered with filth. And
iEneas laughed and gave him a noble shield.
After this came the boxing match. The
winner's prize was an ox with gilded horns,
the loser would have a sword and a helmet.
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FUNERAL GAMES OF ANCHISES
Immediately Dares stood up; he was a giant
in height and breadth. He was the only
man who had ever dared to meet Paris, the
strongest boxer in Troy; he had also van-
quished a famous champion, Butes by name,
hurting him so that he died of his wounds.
So mighty a man did he seem that no one
had the courage to stand up against him. So
Dares came to ^neas where he sat, and said:
*'If there is no man to meet me let me take
the prize." But King Acestes said to his
friend Entellus, who was sitting next to him
on the grass: "Entellus, will you suffer this
prize to be taken in this fashion? Did you
not learn this art from Eryx himself? Has
not your fame gone through this land of
Sicily? Is not your house full of prizes
that you have won?" Entellus answered:
** Think not, O king, that I am afraid, or
that I do not care for honour; but I am
old, and I have lost my strength. If I had
been as young as that boaster there I should
not have wanted a prize to make me go and
meet this bragging fellow."
Then he stood up and threw on to the
ground two boxing gloves which the great
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boxer Eryx had used of old. All who
saw them were astonished, so big were they,
heavy with bull's hide and lumps of lead and
iron. As for Dares, he said: "I will not
stand up against such as these." And when
JEncas took them up, trying their weight,
Entellus said: "What would this Trojan
have thought if he had seen the gloves
which Hercules wore when he fought with
this same Eryx and killed him? These Eryx
himself — he, O ^Eneas ! was your mother's
son — gave me. See the marks of blood and
brains upon them! These are of the men
who fought with him. But if Dares likes
them not, be it so; I will put them away,
and he shall put away his."
Then he threw off the cloak which he
wore, and showed his shoulders and arms,
how big and strong they were.
Then iEneas gave to each gloves of equal
weight, and the two stood and faced each
other. Dares was more nimble and quick,
for he was young; Entellus, though a giant
in height and breadth, was slow and scant
of breath. Many blows they aimed at each
other, and sometimes one would strike the
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FUNERAL GAMES OF ANCHISES
other on the breast or the cheek, but neither
struck home. Entellus stood in the same
place, swaying one way and the other, with
eyes always watching his enemy. As for
Dares, he was like a general who attacks
a city, and tries first one part and then
another, if he can find the weakest. At
last Entellus, thinking that he could reach
the other, dealt him a great blow; but
Dares, seeing it coming, leapt out of the
way; and the old man wasted his strength
in the air, and fell with a crash, as a pine
tree falls on the side of a hill. All the
men of Troy and the men of Sicily ran
up to see what had happened; and Acestes
ran, and would have helped the old man to
rise. But he got up of himself, for shame
and anger, as it were, made him young
again. Dares fled before him, and Entellus
followed him over the plain, hitting him,
now with the right hand, and now with the
left; and the blows were Hke hail when it
rattles on a roof. Then ^Eneas cried: "Be
not angry, my friend;" and to Dares he
said: **See you not that the gods are against
you to-day? Do not fight against the gods."
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So he commanded that the battle should
cease. Dares was led away by his friends
in sad plight, spitting out blood, yea, and
his teeth, for they were broken in the fight.
And they took with them the shield and
the helmet; but the crown of palms and
the ox they left to Entellus. And he said:
**See, iEneas and you men of Troy, what
I could do when I was young." And he
lifted up his hand, and struck the ox between
the brows. And the beast fell dead upon
the ground. And the old man said: ''Eryx,
take this offering. I give you this ox instead
of the life of Dares: and, indeed, it is the
better thing of the two. And here I lay
down my gloves for ever."
Next to this came the trial of shooting
with the bow. iEneas set up the mast of
a ship, and to the top of the mast he tied
a dove by a cord. This was the mark at
which all were to shoot. The first hit the
mast, and shook it, and all could see how
the bird fluttered his wings. Then the second
shot. He did not touch the bird, but he
cut the string by which it was fastened to
the mast, and the bird flew away. Then
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FUNERAL GAMES OF ANCHISES
the third, a man of Lycia, aimed at the
bird itself, and struck it as it flew, and the
dove fell dead to the earth with the arrow
through it. Last of all. King Acestes shot
his arrow. And he, having nothing at which
to aim, shot it high into the air, to show
how strong a bow he had and how he could
draw it. Then there happened a strange
thing to see. The arrow, as it went higher
and higher in the air, was seen to catch
fire, and to leave a line of flame behind it,
till it was burnt up. When ^neas saw
this, he said to himself: **This is a sign
of good to come," for he thought how the
fire had burnt on the head of his son Ascanius,
and how a star had shot through the air when
he was about to fly from Troy. And as this
had been a sign of good at the beginning
of his wanderings, so was this a sign of good
at the end. Then he threw his arms about
King Acestes, saying: '*I thank thee, my
father. This is a message which Jupiter sends
by you." And he gave him a great bowl
of silver which his father Anchises had had
before him. The other archers also had gifts
according to the skill which they had shown.
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Last of all, there was a new game which
none had seen before. Ascanius and his
young companions came riding on horses,
three companies of twelve each with a
leader. They had crowns on their heads,
and collars of gold on their necks, and carried
spears in their hands. They rode this way
and that way, making a show of fighting.
Sometimes they seemed to charge, and some-
times to fly. And all the people shouted,
so fair were the lads, and so well did they
ride.
132
I
CHAPTER X
THE BURNING OF THE SHIPS— THE
COMING TO ITALY
CHAPTER X
THE BURNING OF THE SHIPS — THE
COMING TO ITALY
While the Trojans were busy with the games,
Juno was bus}^ doing them a great mischief,
for she saw that they were now very near
to the end of their wanderings, that is to
say, the land of Italy. And the mischief
was this, to burn their ships.
The women sat by themselves near the
ships, making a great wailing for Anchises.
And as they looked at the sea they thought
to themselves: '* Surely we have travelled
enough; surely we have had enough of the
sea: would it not be far better that we
should have a city in which to dwell ? "
Now Juno had sent down her messenger
Iris to do this business for her. So when
Iris knew what the women were thinking,
she took the shape of a Trojan woman,
Beroe by name, and went among them and
said: "Surely, my sisters, it would have
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been better for us if we had been killed by
the Greeks when they took the city of Troy.
Seven summers have come and gone since
we left our native country, and we are still
wandering over sea and land. We seek this
land of Italy, but it seems to be always
flying before us, and we never see it. Here
we have friends and kinsfolk. Why should
we not build here a city? Why should we
not burn these accursed ships which carry
us hither and thither? Last night I saw
in a dream the prophetess Cassandra. She
seemed to say to me: 'Here is Troy; here
is the home for which you are seeking.'
And as she said this, she put a torch in my
hand. See now the altars here, and the
fire upon them." And she caught a torch
from the altar, and threw it at the ships.
But another woman, who had been nurse
to the sons of King Priam, cried out:
"'Women of Troy, this is not Beroe who is
speaking to you. Beroe I left just now,
very sick and much vexed that she could
not come to this our meeting here. No;
this is not Beroe. Look how she walks,
and what shining eyes she has." The women
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THE BURNING OF THE SHIPS
stood in doubt, not knowing what to do.
They would have liked to stay where they
were, and yet they knew that they were
called to the land of Italy. But while they
doubted, they saw Iris going up to heaven
by the path of the rainbow, and they cried
out: "It is a goddess who has spoken to
Us!" And a great rage came upon them;
every one of them caught up a torch from
the altars, and ran and set fire to the ships.
In a moment the flames ran over the benches
and the oars and the stems of pine. Some
one ran at once to the Trojans as they sat
looking at the games, and told them what
was going on: they themselves, too, saw a
great cloud of smoke coming up from the
sea. Ascanius heard of the matter while he
was leading his host, and immediately he
galloped down to the shore. When he got
to the ships, he cried out: "What are you
doing? This is not the camp of the Greeks
that you are burning. You are burning your
own hopes. See, I am your own Ascanius."
And he took his helmet from his head, and
stood bareheaded before them. After him
came iEneas and the other Trojans, as fast
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as they could. And when the women thought
of what they had done, they were much
ashamed of their behaviour, and sought to
hide themselves. But not the less did the fire
burn the ships, nor could the Trojans, when
they tried to put it out, do any good. Then
iEneas rent his garments and cried out: "O
Jupiter, if thou carest for us at all, save our
ships, lest we perish altogether. But if thou
art angry, and if I have done wrong, slay me
with thy thunderbolt, but save my people."
While he was still speaking, a great storm
came up from the south, with thunder and
lightning and a great rain. So the fire was
put down. Nevertheless, four of the ships
were burnt entirely.
^neas was much troubled at these things,
and thought in himself what he had better
do. Should he stay in Sicily, where he had
friends ? — for though the Fates called him to
Italy, yet there was ever something to hinder
his going. Then a certain priest, a wise
man, one who knew better than all others
the mind of the gods, said to him: '* Surely
we must go to the place whither the gods
call us. That it is not lawful to doubt.
138
THE BURNING OF THE SHIPS
Nevertheless, you may think of something
that shall help us in our present need. I
would have you ask advice from King Acestes,
for he is your friend, and not only so, but
of the same race as we are. See now; four
ships have been burnt, and there are too
many people here for such as are left. And
see again; some do not like the thing which
you purpose to do. There are old men and
women who are weary of the sea; there are
some that are weak; and there are some
whose courage fails them. Let King Acestes,
if he will, take these for himself. Let him
build a city for them, and call it Acesta
after his own name.'' But before he could
do anything in the matter the night came,
and iEneas went to his bed. While he slept
he saw his father in a dream. The old man
said: "My son, Jupiter has sent me to you.
Take the advice which has been given you,
for it is good. Choose out the best and
strongest of your people to go with you,
for you will have to do with a strong and
fierce people in this land of Italy to which
you go. But first come and see me in the
place where I dwell below the earth. The
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Sibyl, whose abode is in Cumae, will show
you the way ; there you shall hear all that
shall come to you and to your children
after. And now I must go, for the morning
is coming."
So iEneas took counsel with the chief of
the Trojans, and with King Acestes. And
the king was willing to do the thing that
JEncas asked of him. So they made a division
of the people. Those that were strong and
brave were to go with iEneas, and those who
were weak and doubtful and faint-hearted
were to stay. So ^Eneas marked out the
boundaries of the city with a plough, and
King Acestes set everything in order.
On the ninth day, after much feasting,
iEneas and his men departed, not without
many tears from those who were going and
those who were left behind. And when the
south wind blew softly, they set sail ; and
the god of the sea gave them a smooth
passage. So they came to the land of Italy,
to Cumae, the dwelling of the Sibyl. The
men pushed the ships on to the beach, turning
their foreparts to the sea, and making them
fast with anchors and ropes. While they
140
THE COMING TO ITALY
were busy with this, ^Eneas went up to the
temple. It was a wonderful place which
Daedalus himself had built when he came
to Italy from the island of Crete. For
Daedalus had made wings for himself and for
Icarus his son, and so had fled from Crete
when King Minos would have killed him.
He himself came safe, but his son, flying
too high in the air, had the wax melted
from his wings, and so fell into the sea and
was drowned. And Daedalus had set forth
all the story of the things that had happened
in Crete, carving all the figures in stone.
Only when he came to set forth the death
of his son, his heart failed him, so great was
his grief.
Then the Sibyl, who was a prophetess, told
iEneas something of what should happen
to him in the land of Italy. And when
he had heard her prophecy, he said: '*0
Lady, I have something more to ask of you.
My father, Anchises, has bidden me, not
once or twice, but many times, to go down
to the place where he dwells among the
dead. Will you, therefore, be my guide-^
for you know the way?"
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The Sibyl said: "It is easy to go down
to the dwelhngs of the dead, but it is hard
to come back. Nevertheless, if it is lawful
for you to go, then I will go with you. And
this is how you may know whether it is
lawful. There is in the very middle of a
wood hard by a tree on which there grows
a bough of gold. If you can find this bough,
and if, when you have found it, you are able to
pluck it from its place, then you may know
that it is lawful for you to go."
So iEneas went into the wood, and the
doves of his mother went before him, guiding
him to the place where the golden bough
was growing. And when he saw it, he put
out his hand, and plucked it, and it came off
at once. Then he went back to the Sibyl,
and the two went together. Now the things
which they saw are told elsewhere. It will
be sufficient to say in this place, that ^Eneas
found his father in the happy place which
they called the Elysian Fields. Very glad
were they to meet again. And Anchises
showed his son a long line of his descendants
who should be in the time to come, iliere
were the kings of Alba, and Romulus, who
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THE COMING TO ITALY
should build the great city of Rome, and
Brutus, who should set that city free when
tyrants were ruling over it, and wise men
who should make laws, and soldiers who
should win great victories — a most noble
company. "See," he said, ''your children's
children. Others shall carve the face of men
in marble, or mould it in bronze more skil-
fully; others shall be more eloquent in speech,
and know better the rising and setting of
the stars. It is the work of your children's
children to rule the world."
So iEneas, when he had seen and heard
these things, went up again to the world
above.
H3
CHAPTER XI
m ITALY
I
CHAPTER XI
IN ITALY
While iEneas and his people were at Cumae,
Caieta his old nurse, who had gone with him in
all his wanderings, died. He called a great chff
that there was close by after her name, and it
is so called to this day. After this they set
sail, the south wind blowing softly and carry-
ing them on to the place which they sought.
As they went, they passed by the island
where Circe lived — Circe, who was said to
be a daughter of the Sun, and who was a
great witch. She used to sit all day and
weave on her loom wonderful work with
pictures on it, and as she sat she sang with
a very sweet voice. And if any traveller went
in to see who it was that sang so sweetly,
she would give him a cup of wine. But this
wine was poisoned, and when the man had
drunk it, Circe would wave a wand over
his head, and he became a beast — a lion,
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^NEID FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
or a bear, or a wolf, or, it may be, a
pig. The Trojans, as they sailed by, heard
these creatures growling or roaring. But
Neptune made the wind blow more strongly,
so that they passed very quickly by, for he
was afraid that they might come to some
harm.
After a little time they came to a place
where there was a great wood along the shore,
and in the midst of the wood a river, the name
of which was the Tiber. This was the place
where it flowed into the sea. And they saw
that the water of the river was very yellow.
It has always been called the "Yellow Tiber."
Here they brought their ships to land. And
iEneas and his son Ascanius and some of the
princes got out on to the shore and sat down
under one of the trees to have their dinner.
They made plates of dough, and on these
they put such fruits as they could find. It
was but a scanty meal, and when they had
eaten all the fruits they were still hungry.
Then they began to break up their platters of
dough and to eat them. And the boy Ascanius
said, laughing: "What! do we even eat our
tables?" When iEneas heard these words,
148
IN ITALY
he was very glad, and he caught the boy
in his arms and kissed him, saying, "Now
this is a good word that you have said, my
son! Long ago that dreadful creature the
Harpy said that some day we should be so
pressed by hunger that we should eat our
tables. My father also prophesied that when
we did this we might know that we had
indeed come to the land where we were to
have a home. And now this has come to
pass. This is our home, and as for the hunger
which I feared, lo! we have endured it and
are yet alive ! " Then the chiefs told the story
to all the people, and all rejoiced together.
And now it must be told what this country
was to which they had come. The name of
it was Latium, and the name of the king
was Latinus. He was the son of Faunus,
who was the son of Picus, and Picus was the
son of Saturn. The story that was told about
Saturn was this, that when his son Jupiter
turned him out of his throne in heaven, for
he had been king of gods and men, he fled
away to Italy, and set up a kingdom there, and
reigned in great peace and happiness. Now
King Latinus had no son, but only a daughter,
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Lavinia by name, who was now of an age
to be married. Many chiefs of Italy desired
to have her for a wife, but the one whom the
queen her mother liked beyond all the others
was a certain Turnus. He was a very tall
and handsome young man, and a great soldier,
and was also the son of a king. Nor was
King Latinus himself unwilling that Turnus
should be his son-in-law, but the wise men,
the priests and the prophets, told him that
it must not be, because the gods would not
have it so. And one of the signs by which
the prophets knew that this was so, was this.
There was in the middle of the palace a
great bay tree. It was growing there when
the king built the palace; and he made it
sacred to the god Apollo and built an altar
under its branches. One day a swarm of
bees came flying into the court where the
bay tree was, and settled on it, and hung
down from one of the branches, in the shape
of a cluster, as is the way of bees when
they swarm. Then the prophets said: **As
the bees have come to your palace, O king,
so there shall come a strange people from far
away to this ^and, and their king shall be the
150
IN ITALY
husband of your daughter." Not many days
after this as Lavinia was standing by her
father's side, and Ughted the fire on the altar,
a flame leapt from the altar on to her hair,
and burnt the ornaments that she wore on
her head, and spread with much smoke and
fire over the whole palace. But the girl
herself was not burnt. The prophets, when
they knew this, said: '*This maiden shall
be famous and great; but a dreadful w^ar
shall come upon her people, and many shall
perish." Then the king himself, wishing
to know for certain what he ought to do,
went to a temple that was near to his
palace, being the temple of his father Faunus.
Of this temple he was himself the priest.
The custom was that if the priest wished to
inquire of the god, he sacrificed sheep, and
lay down to sleep on their skins. This the
king did. He made a sacrifice of a hundred
sheep, and lay down to sleep upon the skins.
And lo! before he fell asleep there came a
voice from out the inner part of the temple:
*'My son, seek not to marry thy daughter
to a prince of this land. There shall Come
a son-in-law from over the sea. Give thy
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daughter to him. He shall make this land
to be the greatest under the whole heaven."
The king did not keep this to himself, but
told it to every one.
It came to pass, therefore, that ^Eneas, ask-
ing questions of some people of the country
whom he met on the day after his coming,
heard about these things. So he said to him-
self: "I will send an embassy to this King
Latinus, and beg of him that there may be
peace between his people and my people.
But lest by chance either he or any one of
the princes hereabouts should seek to do us
harm, I will provide a place of defence."
So he chose a hundred men who should be
ambassadors for him, and put crowns of olive
on their heads, and sent them with gifts in
their hands to the king. When these had
set out, he marked out a place for a camp,
and he commanded the people to work as
hard as they could, making it strong with a
mound and a ditch.
The ambassadors, going on their way to
the city, came to a great plain where the
young men of the place were amusing them-
selves with contests and games. Some raced
152
IN ITALY
against each other, riding on horses or driving
chariots. Some shot with bows and arrows;
others threw javelins, or ran races on foot,
or boxed or wrestled. As soon' as the Trojans
were seen, one of the horsemen rode as fast
as he could to the city, and told the king,
saying: **Some men in strange clothes
have come, desiring to see you." Latinus
said: '* Bring them before me." And he
put on his king's robes, and sat on his
throne.
A very noble place was the king's palace.
Picus had built it on a hill in the middle
of the city, with a sacred wood all round it.
It had a hundred pillars, fifty on one side
and fifty on the other; among the pillars
were statues of kings of old time. On the
walls were hung spoils taken in war, battle-
axes, and spears, and helmets, and the beaks
of ships, and the yokes of chariots. In this
hall the kings of the country of Latium were
crowned; and the princes met in it to take
counsel together, and great feasts were held
in it.
King Latinus said: *'Men of Troy, for,
indeed, I know who you are, tell me why
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you have come to this land. Are you seek-
ing something, or have you come by chance?
Have storms driven you out of your course ?
— for this, I know, is a thing which often
happens to men who sail over the sea. Be
sure that, whatever be the cause of your
coming, you are welcome. In this land
we walk in the way of the good King
Saturn, and do the thing that is right,
not by constraint but of our own will.
Know also that we are of the same blood,
for Dardanus, who was the first founder
of Troy, came from a certain city in this
land."
Then the chief of the ambassadors an-
swered: "O king, we have not wandered
out of our way, nor have storms driven us
upon this coast. We have come hither on
purpose. I doubt not, O king, that you
know how we were driven out of our own
country. Who, indeed, is there on the whole
face of the earth who does not know what
a great destroying storm came out from the
land of Greece and laid the great city of Troy
even with the ground ? What we ask of you,
O king, is a parcel of ground on which we
154
IN ITALY
may build a city to dwell in; also that we
may breathe the air and drink the water of
this land. Be sure, O king, that we shall do
no harm to this thy country, and that you
will not be sorry for having received us. Of
a truth, many nations have desired that we
should join ourselves to them. But the gods
laid a command upon us that we should come
to this land of Italy. For, as you have your-
self said, it was from this land that Dardanus,
our first father, came forth, and hither, by
the will of the gods, his children's children
must come back. So we heard from Apollo
himself. And now we pray you, O king, to
receive these gifts which our lord iEneas sends
by our hands. This is the sceptre which
King Priam was used to hold in his hand
when he did justice among his people. These
garments the ladies of Troy worked with
their own hands."
For a while the king sat silent, thinking
over these things in his heart. For he said
to himself: "Is this man whom they call
JEneas, he of whom my father Faunus spoke ?
Is he, perchance, the son-in-law who, the
prophets said, should come from some strange
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land to be the husband of my daughter
Lavinia?" At the last he spoke, saying:
''May the gods grant that there be peace and
friendship between us and you. We grant,
men of Troy, the things for which you ask —
a parcel of ground, and air and water. We
also thank your king for his gifts. Be sure
that in this land there are such riches as
shall match even the riches of Troy. As
for your king, JEntas, if he wishes to be our
friend, let him come and look upon us, face
to face. Take also this message to him:
*I have a daughter, whom the gods forbid
me to marry to any prince of this land. For
they say that there shall come a stranger
from over the sea to be my son-in-law, and
that from him shall come a race which shall
raise the name of Italy even to the stars of
heaven.'"
Then Latinus said to his people: "Bring
forth horses for these men." Now there
stood in the king's stable three hundred
horses, the swiftest of their kind: of these
the servants brought forth a hundred, one
for every Trojan. All of them had trappings
of purple and bits of gold. To ^Eneas
156
IN ITALY
himself the king sent a chariot drawn by
two horses, which were of the breed of the
horses of the Sun. So the ambassadors went
back to the camp with noble gifts and a
message of peace.
^57
CHAPTER XII
THE PLOTS OF JUNO
CHAPTER XII
THE PLOTS OF JUNO
When Juno saw that the Trojans were come
to the land of Italy, and that they were
building houses in which to dwell, and that
King Latinus was showing them no little
kindness, she said to herself: *'So this wicked
race has vanquished me. The flames of the
burning city of Troy did not destroy them,
nor did the sea swallow them up. And lo!
they have come unharmed to the river Tiber,
to the very place which they desired. Yes:
it is but too true; I, who am the sister and
the wife of Jupiter, have been overcome by
this iEneas. Nevertheless there is still some-
thing which I can do. The gods in heaven
will not help me; therefore I will go to the
powers of hell. I cannot keep this fellow
from the kingdom of Latium, and it is the
pleasure of the gods that he should have
Lavinia for his wife. But I will see to it
that he shall buy this kingdom of his at a
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great price, and that your dowry, O daughter
of Latinus shall be the blood of Italy and of
Troy. Then Juno went down into the lower
parts of the earth, and called to her Alecto,
who was one of the Furies, who loved anger
and war and treachery, and all evil and hate-
ful things. Even her own sisters, the Furies,
could not bear to look on her, so dreadful
was she to behold. Juno said to her:
"Daughter of Night, I have suffered a great
wrong and disgrace, and I want you to help
me. A man whom I hate, iEneas by name,
desires to have a kingdom in Italy: keep
him from it. He wishes to have Lavinia,
the daughter of King Latinus, to wife: see
that he does not. You can set brother against
brother; you can bring strife into kingdoms
and into homes. Break this peace that the
Latins and the Trojans are making. Bring
about some occasion of war."
Alecto first went to the palace of Latinus.
There she found the queen, Amata by name,
in great anger and trouble. She was much
displeased by the doings of the king, her
husband. She did not wish to have iEneas
for her son-in-law, and she loved the prince
162
THE PLOTS OF JUNO
Turnus with all her heart. Then the Fury
thought to herself: "The queen hates iEneas
already; I will turn her hatred into madness."
So she took a snake out of her hair and thrust
it into the bosom of the queen. The evil
beast crept about her so that the poison got
into her heart; then it changed itself into
a collar, as of twisted gold, round her neck,
and poisoned her very breath.
At the first, before the evil altogether over-
powered her, she spoke gently to her husband,
weeping as a mother might weep when she
is afraid that she may lose her daughter.
She said: *'Are you not afraid, my hus-
band, to give Lavinia to this exile from
Troy? Have you no pity for her or me or
yourself? Well I know that so soon as
the north wind begins to blow, he will fly
from this land and carry her away with
him. Do you not care for the promise that
you made to Turnus — yes, made with an
oath — that he should have Lavinia for his
wife? You say that she must marry a
stranger. Is he not a stranger? Are not
all who are not subjects of your kingdom
strangers? This, and this only, is what the
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gods command. Further, if you look into
the matter, you will see that he is a stranger
also in race, for he is of the family of
Inachus, and is by race a Greek."
But when she saw that her husband was
not moved at all by her words, the madness
altogether overcame her. She rushed out of
the palace, and through the streets of the
city, taking her daughter with her. And,
as she went, she called to the other women
to follow her, so that a whole multitude went
after her. Like to so many wild creatures,
they ran through the woods, the queen
leading them, holding a burning torch in
her hand, and singing the marriage song of
her daughter and Turnus.
The next thing that the Fury did was
that she went to the city where Turnus lived.
He was asleep, and the Fury went in and
stood by his bedside. She had taken the
shape of an old woman, the priestess of the
Temple of Juno, and she said: *' Turnus,
are you content that you should lose that
which is your right, and that your kingdom
should be taken from you i King Latinus
takes from you the wife that he had promised,
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THE PLOTS OF JUNO
and is about to hand over his kingdom to
a stranger from over the sea. Juno bade
me come and tell you this. Arm your
people; drive these strangers out of the
land, and burn their ships with fire. And
if the king will not keep his promise, let
him learn for himself that Turnus is not
one who will suffer wrong."
So the old woman spoke, and Turnus
answered — for so it seemed to him in his
dream — " Old woman, I know that the ships
of the strangers have come to the Tiber. But
these are idle tales that you tell me. I
know that Queen Juno cares for me; there-
fore, I am not afraid. But you, mother,
are old, and wander somewhat in your wits,
and trouble yourself for nothing, and are
afraid when there is nothing to fear. Keep,
I pray you, to your own business; serve
the temples of the gods, but leave war and
the things of war to men, for such matters
belong to them."
And then it seemed to Turnus in his
dream that the old woman grew very angry,
yea, that she changed into the shape of a
Fury, and that a thousand snakes hissed
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round her. And when he tried to speak
again, the words would not come, and when
he would have risen from his bed, she thrust
him back, and caught two snakes from her
hair and lashed him with them, crying:
**I am old, forsooth! and I wander from
my wits! and I am afraid when I have
nothing to fear! Nay, but I am the greatest
of the Furies, and war and death are in my
hands." And it seemed to him, still in his
dream, that she threw a lighted torch at
him, and that it fixed itself in his heart.
Then he woke with a great start. He did
not know whether the things which he had
seen and heard in his sleep were true or
not, but his heart was full of anger. He
called for his arms, and commanded all the
young men to make themselves ready for
war. "I will drive these Trojans," he cried,
**out of Italy, and if Latinus and his people
stand by them, then they shall go also."
And now there was one thing left for
the Fury to do, and this was to make a
cause of quarrel. King Latinus had a man to
keep his cattle, and this man's daughter, Silvia
by name, had a tame stag which her brothers
i66
THE PLOTS OF JUNO
had found when it was a fawn, and had
brought to her. The girl was very fond
of the creature, and would put garlands of
flowers about its neck, and comb its hair,
and give it a bath. All day long the stag
would wander about the woods, and at night
it came back to the house. Now it so
happened that Ascanius, with other Trojan
lads, was hunting that day, and his dogs
caught scent of the stag and followed it.
And Ascanius, riding after them, saw the
beast, and shot an arrow at it, and hit it,
for the Fury took care that the arrow should
not miss its aim. Then the stag, being
wounded to death, ran back to the herds-
man's house, and filled it with most lament-
able cries. Silvia heard it, and was greatly
grieved to see her dear pet in such a case,
and cried out for help. And here again
the Fury — for she was hiding in the woods
— did all she could to increase the trouble.
From all sides the country folk came together,
each picking up for a weapon anything that
came to hand. One had a brand that had
been half-burned in the fire, and another a
great stick with knots in it. The herdsman
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himself carried an axe in his hand. On the
other hand, the Trojans ran together to help
Ascanius, and soon there was a regular battle.
Some were slain both on the one side and
on the other. Among them was Almo, who
was the eldest son of the herdsman, and an
old man Galaesus, who was killed as he tried
to make peace between the two parties. He
came between them as they fought, and the
spears wounded him to the death. A good
man was he, and rich, for he had five flocks
of sheep and five herds of cattle, and as
much land for wheat and the like as could
be worked by a hundred ploughs.
Then said Juno to the Fury: "It is
enough; go to your own place. Jupiter
would be angry if he saw you here. The
rest I will do."
i68
CHAPTER XIII
THE GATHERING OF THE CHIEFS
CHAPTER XIII
THE GATHERING OF THE CHIEFS
When the battle was over — for the Trojans,
being more used to war, soon drove the Latins
back — the shepherds carried the two dead
men, Almo and Galaesus, to the city, and
cried for vengeance to the gods and to the
king. And none cried louder and more
fiercely than Turnus: "Why," said he, "do
you put the Trojans before me?" And all
the people said the same thing, crying out:
"Send away these Trojans. Let us have
our own people to rule over us." As for the
king, he stood firm, firm as a great rock in
the sea. The waves break over it, and the
sea-weed is dashed against it, but it is
not heaved from its place. At last he said:
"O foolish Latins, you will pay for this
madness with your lives; and no one, O
Turnus, will suffer worse things than you;
and when you would cry to the gods for
help, they will not hear you. As for me, I
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shall soon be at rest in the grave. And if
I have but little honour at my funeral, what
matters it?"
There was a custom of old time in Latium,
and in Alba afterwards, and in Rome herself
in later times, that when there is the begin-
ning of war, they open the great gate of the
Temple of Janus. When the Fathers have
given their voice for war, then the consul
himself, in robe and girdle, opens the gate
with his own hand, and the people follow
him, and there is a great blowing of horns.
But King Latinus, though the people bade
him declare war and open the gate, would
have nothing to do with it; he hid himself.
So Juno herself came down, and opened the
gate with her own hand.
When this had been done, men made ready
for battle throughout all the land of Italy.
They polished their shields, and sharpened
their spears and swords and battle-axes. In
five cities forges were set up, wherein to
make new arms and armour, helmets and
shields, and breastplates and greaves. Even
their ploughs and their reaping-hooks they
took and turned them into weapons of war.
172
THE GATHERING OF THE CHIEFS
First came King Mezentius, the Tuscan, of
whom more will soon be said. He was one
who cared not for gods or men. With him
came Lausus his son; there was no fairer or
better youth in Italy. He deserved to have
a better father. With these two came a
thousand men.
Next came a son of Hercules, carrying a
shield on which was his father's crest, the
great monster with a hundred heads, which
men called the Hydra. He had a lion's skin,
with a mane and great white teeth round
his head and shoulders. He was followed
by the Sabines, who were armed with long
spears and swords.
After him came the twin brothers who
built the city of Tibur. They were Greeks,
and with them came a son of Vulcan, and
a great company of country folk, some of
them carrying slings and some javelins. These
had helmets of wolf-skin on their heads.
Next came Messapus, skilled in taming
horses, the son of Neptune. His father had
given him charms which made him safe
against fire and sword. Many other chiefs
of great renown followed, all with companies
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of men. Some had wicker shields and some
helmets made of cork, and others spears and
shields of bronze, for in old time men used
bronze and not iron for making of arms and
armour. Their names need not be told in
this place; only Umbro the priest. A wise
man was he, and one who could charm ser-
pents and heal those who were bitten by
them. But he could not heal the wound
of the Trojan spear, nor did all his charms
keep him from death.
But of all that came there was none more
brave, or strong, or fair to look upon than
Turnus, for as he stood in the midst he over-
topped all others by the head. He had a
helmet on his head, and on the helmet three
crests, with the Chimaera, a creature of which
half was a lion and half a goat. A great
multitude of men followed him.
Last of all came Camilla, a wonderful girl
from the land of the Volscians. And with
her came a great company of women warriors,
with armour of bronze, and riding on horses.
This Camilla cared not for the distaff, or to
spin, or to do such things as women are used
to do. She cared for nothing but war. A
174
THE GATHERING OF THE CHIEFS
great fighter was she, and also a wonderful
runner. She was swifter than the winds.
She could run over the standing corn, and not
break it down; she could run across the sea,
and not wet her feet. All the young men
were astonished to see her, and the women
looked after her, as she went. She had a
purple mantle round her shoulders, and a
band of gold round her hair; on her back she
carried a quiver of arrows and a bow, and in
her hand she had a pike of myrtle-wood.
175
CHAPTER XIV
KING EVANDER
CHAPTER XIV
KING EVANDER
When ^neas heard that the nations of
Italy were gathering together against him
and that they had sent an embassy to
Diomed, who was the bravest of the Greeks
after Achilles, he was much troubled. He
knew that he and his Trojans were but
few against many, and he did not know
where to look for help. While he was
thinking about these things, he fell asleep.
In his dreams the god of the river. Father
Tiber, as he was called, appeared to him.
He was an old man, with a garment of
blue linen, and a crown of reeds on his
head. The old man said to him — so it
seemed to iEneas in his dream — ''You are
welcome to this land, you and the gods of
Troy whom you bring with you. Do not
be troubled by wars and rumours of wars,
nor give up the work which you have begun.
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It is the will of the gods that this shall
prosper in the end. And now you are look-
ing for help ; I will tell you, therefore, where
you will find it. Certain men from the land
of Arcadia came to this country of Italy, with
their king, Evander, and have built a city
which they call Pallanteum. These men are
always at war with the Latins. Go to them,
therefore, and make a treaty with them that
their enemies shall be your enemies and
their friends your friends. And the way
by which you must go is my stream; for
know that I am Father Tiber, and that
of all the rivers under the sun there is
none that is dearer to the gods than mine.
Rise, therefore, and worship the gods, espe-
cially Queen Juno, that she may cease to
hate you."
When i3Eneas woke out of sleep, he remem-
bered that, long before, the prophet Helenus
had said to him that when he was in great
need of help it should come to him against
all hope — that is to say, from a city of the
Greeks. Then he took enough of his people
to fill two ships, and went his way. And those
that were left worked as hard as they could
i8o
KING EVANDER
making the walls of the camp strong and the
ditch deep.
By noon they had travelled some twenty
miles, for Father Tiber had made their work
easy, staying his stream so that they might
find it more easy to row. So they came
to a place where there were seven hills,
and a citadel on one of them, and some
houses scattered about. This was the city
of Evander.
It so happened that the king and his
people had sacrificed that day to Hercules,
as they used to do every year, and were
sitting at the feast afterwards. When they
saw the ships through the trees, they were
a little troubled. They feared that the
strangers might be enemies, for, indeed,
they had but few friends in the country.
So they all jumped up from their places.
But the King's son, whose name was Pallas,
cried out: "Sit still: do not disturb the
feast: as for these strangers, I will look to
them." So he snatched up a spear, and,
standing on the little hill on which the
altar had been built, he cried: "Strangers,
why have you come to this place? What
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do you want? Do you bring peace or
war?"
iEneas, who was standing on the stern of
his ship, holding an olive branch in his
hand — this was a sign of peace — cried with
a loud voice: **We are men of Troy;
the Latins are our enemies; we are seek-
ing King Evander. Say to the king, if
you will, that ^Eneas, prince of Troy, has
come, and wishes to make alliance with
him."
Now Pallas had heard the name of ^neas,
and that he was a great chief; but more he
did not know. He answered: ''Come near,
whoever you are; I will take you to my
father, the king." So iEneas stepped on to
the shore, and Pallas brought him to the
king.
^neas said: ''I have come to you, O
King, of my own accord: I am not afraid of
you, though I know that you are a Greek,
and not only that, but a kinsman of the two
sons of Atreus, the very men who destroyed
my city of Troy. For you are my kinsman
also. We are both of us of the race of Atlas.
And there is this also between you and me:
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KING EVANDER
we are both of us strangers in this land,
and the people of it hate us both. And I
am very sure that if they overcome me
they will also overcome you. So there
will be no one who can stand against
them. They will rule over Italy from sea
to sea. Therefore I have to ask for your
help, and to give help to you. I would
not send ambassadors — I have come myself.
It is thus that men become most quickly
friends."
As iEneas was speaking, the king never
took his eyes off him. And when he had
finished, he caught him by the hand, and
said: "Welcome, great son of Troy! I
seem myself to see the face and hear the
voice of Anchises. Well I remember how
Priam came long ago to see his sister, who
was the wife of Telamon; and with him
came Anchises, with other princes of Troy;
but there was not one of them who could
be compared with Anchises. When he
went away, he gave me a bow made in
Lycia, and a quiver full of arrows, also a
cloak embroidered with gold, and two bridles
of gold which Pallas my son has to this
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day. The help which you ask I will give;
my people are as your people. To-morrow ^
if you will, you shall go, and take with you
as many men as I can find for you. But
now, for you are come on a good day, sit
down and join us at our feast."
So iEneas sat down by the king's side,
and all the Trojans had seats at the feast,
and they ate, and drank, and were merry.
When they had had enough to eat and
drink. King Evander said: "We keep this
day to Hercules, and with good reason."
And he told him
THE STORY OF CACUS
** Hercules, as you have doubtless heard,
came into these parts to fetch the cattle of
Geryon. The cattle were strange creatures,
for they were red, red as is the sky at sunset;
and their master was strange, for he had
three bodies; and the keepers of the herd
were strange also, a great giant and a dog
with two heads. All these terrible creatures
Hercules killed, and drove away the cattle,
bringing them back to the master whom he
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KING EVANDER
served, who dwelt in the land of Greece.
In his journey he came to this place. At
that time there was living in a cave close
by a famous robber, Cacus by name. He
was the son, men said, of Vulcan, the god
of fire, and so was able to breathe out fire
from his mouth. All men were afraid of
him, for who could fight with a man that
could scorch his adversary by breathing fire
upon him? Hercules then lay down to
sleep under a tree, and the cattle grazed all
about the bank of the river. When Cacus
saw them, and saw that for shape and colour
they were such that no other cattle in the
world could be compared with them, he
took four bulls and four heifers, the very
finest that there were in the whole herd.
These he dragged by their tails to his cave,
that it might not be seen where they were,
for the marks of their hoofs seemed to be
going away from the cave, not to it, and
he rolled a great stone to the mouth of the
cave. The next day, as Hercules was about
to go on his journey, the bulls and the heifers
which were in the cave, knowing that their
companions were going away, and not liking
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to be left behind, set up a great lowing.
When Hercules heard this he knew that he
had been robbed, not having known it before
because the herd was very great; and he was
full of anger. He took up his great club,
and climbed to the top of the hill which
covered the cave. Cacus saw him coming,
and fled as fast as he could to his cave.
For the first time in his life he was afraid,
for he saw that this stranger was far stronger
and fiercer than any man that he had ever
seen before. So he ran as fast as he could
to his cave, and made a great block of stone
which was hanging over the door drop down.
It had been made so cleverly that it seemed
exactly like the rest of the side of the moun-
tain. Hercules knew that the cattle were
inside the mountain, for he still could hear
them lowing, but where the door of the cave
might be he could not tell. He went from
place to place, gnashing his teeth in his rage.
Three times he tried to pull away the rock,
and each time he found that it was part of
the solid side of the mountain. At last he
saw on the top a great piece of stone jutting
out, which seemed to lean towards the river.
i86
KING EVANDER
So he went and pushed against this with
all his strength — and there was not so strong
a man in all the earth — and at last it gave
way, and the whole side of the mountain
fell with it into the river beneath. Then
the cave of Cacus could be seen, so horrible
a place as had never been shown before to
the eyes of men. And in the depth of the
cave was the monster himself. Hercules
took the bow which he carried on his
shoulders and arrows from his quiver — such
arrows as no man but he possessed — but he
could not hit the monster, for the cave was
filled with fire and smoke which Cacus
poured out of his mouth. But Hercules
was not to be put off in this way . He
plunged into the cave, and groped about
till in the place where the smoke was thick-
est he found the creature. He caught him in
his arms, and struck him with his club,
and, when he could not kill him in this
>yay, put his hands on his throat and stran-
gled him."
This was the story which Evander told
to iEneas; and as he told it he showed him
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the very hill in which the cave had been,
and the place where Hercules had pushed
down the whole side of the mountain. And
now, the feast being finished, two bands of
priests, one of old men and one of young,
came in and sang a song about the great
deeds of Hercules; how, when he was a
baby in his cradle, he caught two snakes
which Juno had sent to kill him, and strangled
them, and how he had killed the Centaurs, ^
who were half horses and half men, and
many other wonderful things.
After this Evander took ^neas to his
palace — a palace it was called because a king
lived in it — and told him all the story of
Italy. '*Once upon a time," he said, *'the
people here were savages, not at all better
than beasts, not using fire, or living in houses,
or wearing clothes, and knowing no difference
between right and wrong. Then Saturn came
and taught them how to live, and gave them
laws.''
Then he showed him the city which he
had built. A poor place it was; the palace
and the temples were of wood or clay, and
the roofs were of thatch. But it was the
i88
KING EVANDER
place, though no one knew it, where Rome
was to be in the days to come. After this
the king took his guest to his home, and
showed him the room where he should sleep.
So JEneas lay down on a bed of straw, with
a bear-skin over him to keep him warm.
189
CHAPTER XV
THE ARMS OF ^NEAS
CHAPTER XV
THE ARMS OF ^NEAS
The old man Evander got up from his bed
very early the next morning, put on his
tunic and his sandals, girded his sword on
his side, and, with the skin of a panther
over his left shoulder, went to call ^Eneas.
Pallas his son went with him, and two
great dogs, which had lain all night by the
door of his room, followed him. ^neas he
found already awake and dressed, for, indeed,
it was not a time when a man who had so
much to think about could sleep long.
Evander said: "Great chief of Troy, we
have all the good-will in the world for
you, but we are poor and weak. There
are but few of us, as you see, in this little
town, and we can help you but little. Yet
there is something which I can do for you;
I can tell you of a people with whom you
may make friends. They are neither few
nor poor; they can help you much, as you
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^NEID FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
also can help them. There is a city not
far from this place which was built long
ago by men from the land of Lydia; you
know the Lydians well, for they are neigh-
bours of Troy and fought for you. Long
ago, when there was a great famine in their
country, some of them came over the sea
to Italy, and built a city, Agylla by name.
Now the king of this city, Mezentius, was
one of the most wicked of men, and after
a while his people made a rebellion against
him, and killed his guards, and set fire to
his palace. The man himself escaped with
his life, and fled to Turnus. So there is
war between the people of Agylla — Tuscans
they are called — and Turnus ; for Turnus
wishes to bring back the king and to set
him over the people again. But when the
Tuscans gathered their army together, and
would have gone forth to war, a prophet
said to them: * Tuscans, you do well to be
angry with your king, and to fight against
him and his friends ; but mark this, or you
will not prosper, — no man of Italy must be
your leader. You must have a stranger to
command you.' When the Tuscans heard
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THE ARMS OF ^NEAS
the prophet say this, they came to me and
would have had me to be their leader. But
I am old and feeble; and when they would
have had Pallas my son, the prophet forbade,
because the mother of Pallas was a woman
of Italy. You, therefore, are the man whom
they look for: you are in your prime, and
you are altogether a stranger in race. Do
you then stand forth and be the leader of
these Tuscans. And Pallas shall go with
you and learn from you to be a good
soldier. Two hundred horsemen I will send
with you, and there are two hundred men
who follow Pallas my son."
While the king was still speaking there
was heard a great clap of thunder, though the
sky was clear, and after the thunder the sound
of a trumpet such as the Tuscans use. And
iEneas knew that these were signs of good;
and he said to the king: "Be of good cheer;
all shall go well." Then he made ready to go.
Some of his company he kept with him; to
the rest he said: "Go back to the camp, for
they may want you there."
So when he was ready to depart, Evander
took him by the hand, and said: "How I
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wish that Jupiter would give me back the
years that are gone. For I, too, was a good
soldier in my youth. Did I not kill King
Herulus, the man with three lives? Twice
I killed him, and he came to life again, and
then I killed him for the third time. If I
were but such a one now, then either I had
gone in my son's place or we had gone to-
gether. But now this is my prayer to the
Gods: If it be their will that my son should
come back safe and sound, then let me live to
see him; but if not, then may I die this very
day while he still lives and is my own."
When he had said this, he fell back faint-
ing, and his people carried him into his
palace.
Then the horsemen rode out from the city,
four hundred of them in all, with Prince
Pallas in the midst, fair as the Morning Star,
the star which Is fairer than all others, and
which Venus calls by her own name. And
they came to a grove where the Tuscans,
under their leader, whose name was Tarchon,
had pitched their camp.
And Venus had not forgotten her dear son.
While he slept, she said to Vulcan her hus-
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THE ARMS OF ^NEAS
band: "My husband, while the Greeks were
fighting against Troy, I never asked you to
make arms for my dear son, as did the god-
dess of the morning for her son Memnon;
and the goddess of the sea for Achilles. For
I said to myself: *The gods have decreed that
Troy shall fall: why should he waste his
time and his labour in giving help where help
cannot be of any use ? ' But now all things are
changed. My son is come to this land of Italy
by the will of the gods; but all the nations
are gathering themselves together against him.
I pray thee, therefore, to help him and me,
that he may the more easily gain that which
it is the pleasure of the gods that he should
have. Make arms for him that he may
conquer his enemies and be safe against their
spears and swords."
Very early the next morning, as early as a
woman who makes her living by spinning
gets up to light her fire and set her servants
to work so that her husband and her children
may have food to eat, so early did the god of
fire rise. He went to a certain island which
is near to Sicily, where he had set up his
forge. There the one-eyed giants, who were
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his servants, were hard at work. Some of
them were making thunderbolts for Jupiter.
Of these thunderbolts one was unfinished,
and one could see the things of which it
was made. There were three parts of hail,
and three of storm-cloud, and three of red
fire and of the south wind; and now they
were putting in the lightning and noise and
fear. Others of the giants were busy with
other things. One was making a chariot
for Mars, another a shirt of mail for Minerva.
But the god cried: "'Come, all of you, and
do this new work which I have for you.
Make arms and armour for the hero ^Eneas."
So they set to work. Some of them melted
gold and copper and tin, and some worked
at the bellows, and some held the hot metal
in pincers, and some dipped it in water.
They made a helmet with a nodding
plume that blazed like fire, and a sword,
and a shirt of mail, and greaves of gold for
the legs, and a spear. But the greatest and
most wonderful thing that they made was
a shield. For on this the god wrought all
the story of Rorr)e and the Romans that
were to be. There you might see the she-
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THE ARMS OF iENEAS
wolf in the cave of Mars suckling the two
babes, for these had been put out to die
by a cruel king, and the she-wolf found
them, and carried them to her den, and
suckled them as if they had been her own
young ones. They lay, not fearing her at
all, and she was turning her head and lick-
ing them as they lay. Also you might see
how the Romans were carr\4ng off the
Sabine girls to be their wives; in another
place there was the battle being fought,
where their fathers and brothers came to
take them back; in yet another the two
kings making peace, so that thereafter the
Romans and Sabines should be not two
nations but one. Also King Porsenna was
to be seen. For the Romans had driven
out their king, and* Porsenna had come to
bring him back. There he stood with his
hand stretched out, and on the other side
the Romans stood in arms against him.
Also the brave Horatius was guarding the
bridge by which the enemy would have
crossed the river, and the Romans were
breaking it down behind him. And yet
again the girl Clcelia, having been given
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as a hostage, had broken her bonds, and
was swimming across the river. Also in
another place you could see the hill of the
Capitol, which, when all the rest of Rome
was taken by the Gauls, yet remained.
The enemy were creeping up the side,
through the trees, and climbing up from
rock to rock. Their hair was worked in
gold, and so were their cloaks; they carried
in each hand a spear, and each had* a
shield. But at the top the geese were
fluttering about, for they were awake, though
the very dogs were asleep. They were
worked in silver, and the place where they
were was worked in gold. And in the
middle of the clifif stood the brave Manlius,
thrusting down the Gauls just as they laid
their hands on the very edge of the cliff.
Other things were there to be seen. But
the most wonderful of all was the great
battle of ships between the East and the West.
On one side was Augustus with the men
of Italy behind him; on the other Antony,
leading to battle Persians and Egyptians and
many another barbarous tribe, and close behind
him — a shameful sight — his Egyptian wife.
200
f
THE ARMS OF iENEAS
When Venus saw that ^neas was alone,
for he had wandered away from his com-
panions, she brought the arms, and laid
them at his feet, saying: ** These the god
of fire has wrought for you. With these
you need fear no enemy, no, not Turnus
himself." Then she vanished.
201
CHAPTER XVI
NISUS AND EURYALUS
CHAPTER XVI
NISUS AND EURYALUS
Juno did not fail to see how she might do
harm to the Trojans. '*Now," said she to
herself, "now is the time, while their chief
is away, and while their camp is but half-
finished." So she sent Iris her messenger
to Prince Turnus with these words: "The
chance which neither I nor any one else,
whether god or man, could promise you has
come of itself, or time has brought it.
iEneas has gone away to the city of Evander,
hoping to make him his ally. He has left
his ships and his camp, which is but half-
finished. Take the chance and attack them."
Turnus was offering sacrifice, and when he
turned about he saw a rainbow, for the rain-
bow is the way by which Iris goes to and fro,
when she carries the messages of the gods.
Then Turnus called his army together, and
set forth, marching towards the camp which
the Trojans had pitched by the sea-shore.
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The men who were watching on the wall
saw a great cloud of dust, and one of them
cried: *'To arms, my friends! make ready
to defend the camp; the enemy is at hand.''
Then the Trojans shut the gates, and manned
the walls. For ^Eneas had said: '*Do not
fight in the plain, whatever may happen:
the enemy are too strong for you; keep
behind the walls."
Turnus, riding on a Thracian horse, came
up to the wall, and threw his spear over it.
So he began the siege. Then he rode round
the camp, looking for some place where he
might make his way in. Just so a wolf
will prowl round a sheepfold at night, and
the lambs bleat inside, being safe by their
dams, and the beast, being wild with hunger,
grows more and more mad as he hears them.
So Turnus raged round the camp, looking
for a weak place by which he might enter.
But he could find none, and the Trojans
would not come forth. Then he thought
to himself: *'Well; if I cannot come at
them, cowards as they are, I will at the
least burn their ships;" for the ships were
drawn up by the sea-shore, close to the
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NISUS AND EURYALUS
camp. So he called for torches, and rushed
to the ships, holding one ready lighted in
his hand, and all the people followed him.
Then there happened a very strange thing
indeed. Seven years before, when ^Eneas
was building his ships on the plain between
the sea and Mount Ida, the Mother of the
gods said to Jupiter: "My son, you see
that iEneas is building himself ships with
the pines that grow on my mountain of
Ida. This pleases me well; the pines I
have given him. But I do not like to think
that, being mine, they should be broken by
winds and waves when they sail across the
seas. Grant, therefore, I pray you, that these
ships may be safe against all storms." Jupiter
answered: '*My mother, you ask what can-
not be. Mortal ships cannot be made im-
mortal. They, too, must stand the chances
of winds and waves" — and so it was that
some were wrecked as iEneas sailed from
Sicily to Carthage, and some were burnt in
Sicily — "but this you shall have. Such as
shall come safe to the land of Italy shall
not perish, for I will change them into
nymphs of the sea." And so it happened
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now: before even Turnus and his men could
come at the ships, the cables by which they
were held were broken, and the ships seemed
to move of their own accord, and as they
moved they became nymphs of the sea, for
every ship a nymph.
All men, Trojans and Latins alike, were
astonished to see this thing, and not a little
afraid. But Turnus was not afraid: ''This,"
he cried, "is a marvel indeed, but it is a
marvel that means ill for these strangers.
Their ships flee from us. Yes, and mark you
— they will not be able to get away from
us. They talk of fate; yes, it was their fate
to come to Italy, and it is my fate to destroy
them. They are walking in their old ways.
Paris stole a wife from Greece, iEneas comes
to steal a wife from me. Do they think
that this wall will protect them? Did the
walls of Troy defend it? And yet these
were built by Neptune. And now, who is
coming with me to storm their camp? We
will not do it in the night; we will not
do it by stealth. We do not need a horse
of wood to creep into their town. Hector
kept back the youth of Greece for ten long
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NISUS AND URYALUS
years, but the youth of Italy is of another
kind."
But by this time it was dark, and nothing
could be done. So Turnus set King Messapus
to watch the gate of the camp, and fourteen
chiefs of Italy, each with a hundred men,
to watch the walls. As for the rest, they
sat down to eat and drink.
When it was near to midnight, Nisus,
the keeper of the gate — the same that but
for his sHpping had won the foot-race — said
to his comrade Euryalus: "I am bent on
doing something this night. Whether the
thing comes from the gods, or from my own
heart, I do not know, but something I must
do. Do you see how bad a watch the enemy
are keeping, how some are asleep and some
are drunken? Can I not carry the news
to iEneas, and so win great honour and
reward? Do you see that hill yonder? By
that lies the way to the city of Evander."
Euryalus answered: **You are right; it
would be a glorious thing to go on such
an errand. But you shall not go alone. I
will not be left here, O Nisus. My father
did not bring me up to suffer such disgrace,
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iENEID FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
nor have I so behaved that you should think
of it. And as for Hfe, who would not die
for the chance of winning such honour?"
"Nay," said Nisus, "I did not think for
one moment that you would hold back.
But this was in my mind. If I come to
my end in this affair, then Euryalus will
buy back my body from the enemy. Or,
if this may not be, he will, at the least,
pay the honours that are due to the dead.
And then, dear lad, think of your mother.
When all the other mothers of Troy chose
to stay behind with King Acestes in the
land of Sicily, she alone, for she loved you,
came with us to the land of Italy."
But Euryalus said: "All this is idle talk.
You cannot turn me back, for my purpose
to go is fixed. Let us make haste and do
the thing." So they roused two of their
comrades to take their places, and went to
see the chiefs who had the charge of the
camp. These were holding counsel together,
standing in the open space that was in the
middle of the camp, and leaning on their
spears. Nisus said: "My lords, I have
something to say, and it is a matter that
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NISUS AND EURYALUS
cannot wait.'" ''Speak on," said Ascanius.
Then said Nisus: "The enemy are not
keeping any watch. Some are sleeping, and
others are drunken; the watch-fires are not
kept ahght. It is in my mind that we two
should make our way to ^Eneas, to the city
of Evander. On our way we can kill many
of the enemy, and take much spoil from
them; but, chief of all, we can tell ^neas
of what has happened here. All this we
can do easily, if we have but good luck.
As for the way, we know it well, for we
have hunted in these parts." Then said one
of the chiefs: "Troy has not perished alto-
gether, if it still has such sons as you."
And Ascanius said: "Bring back my father,
and all will be well. As for your rewards,
they shall be worthy of you. You, Nisus,
if we conquer this land of Italy, shall have
the horses and the arms of Turnus, and
captives, both men and women, those that
you shall choose for yourself, and the land
that now belongs to King Latinus. As for
you, Euryalus, you shall come next to myself
in all things."
Then said Euryalus: "There is one thing
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that I would ask. I have a mother. She
is of the race of Priam. I cannot say good-
bye to her, for I could not bear to see hei
tears. Do you care for her, if she should
lose me." Ascanius said: *'She shall be as
a mother to me." Then he gave him his
own sword with an ivory sheath, and others
gave other things to the two. And all the
chiefs went with them to the gates, making
many prayers and vows for their success.
And Ascanius gave them many messages to
take to his father.
Then they crossed the ditch which was
round the wall of the camp, and went among
the enemy. By this time even those who
had been set to watch were asleep, for they
thought the Trojans to be so weak that
there was no need to trouble about them.
First Nisus slew a man, Rhamnes by name.
He was counted to be a wise prophet who
knew what was going to happen, but he
did not know of his own death. Then he
came to where a chief named Remus lay
sleeping; near him were his three servants
and the driver of his chariot. All these
Nisus killed, and Remus last of all. Many
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NISUS AND EURYALUS
others he slew, and Euryalus coming behind
him did the same. But when they came
to the tents of King Messapus, Nisus thought
to himself: *'We are forgetting our business.
The love of kilHng is too much for us."
And he said to his companion: '*It is
enough: the day breaks; we have made
our way through the enemy; let us seek
iEneas." So they went on their way. Much
spoil they left behind them; but Euryalus
put upon his head the helmet of Messapus,
which he had taken from the side of the
king where he lay sleeping.
Now it so happened that a certain chief,
Volscens by name, was coming with three hun-
dred horsemen from the city to the camp.
One of them caught sight of the helmet
which Euryalus was wearing, for it glittered
in the light of the moon. And he told
it to Volscens; and Volscens cried: ''Who
are you ? Whither are you going ? "
But the two made no answer, thinking
of nothing but how they might escape. So
Volscens told his men to watch the wood,
which was very thick with trees and brambles.
This they did. Nevertheless, Nisus got
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through it, and might have got away had
he wished so to do. But when he came to
the stalls where King Latinus kept his cattle,
he found that he was alone. Then, for he
could not bear to get away leaving his dear
companion behind, he entered the wood again
and searched it through. After a while he
heard the noise of horsemen coming near.
So hiding himself in a thicket, he looked,
and behold Euryalus was in the middle of
the company. He was trying to escape,
but could not. Then Nisus said to himself:
"'May be, if I can kill some of them, the
rest, not knowing how their comrades are
slain, will be scattered, and Euryalus will
escape." So, having first prayed to Diana
for help, he threw his spear. The spear
struck one Sulmo on the back. It pierced
right through him to the very heart, and
he fell dead on the ground. While they
looked, there came another spear out of the
hiding-place of Nisus. This struck another
of the horsemen — this time on the head —
and killed him. Volscens was furious to see
such a thing, that his men were killed he
knew not how, and he cried out against
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NISUS AND EURYALUS
Euryalus: '*WelI, you at least shall suffer
for these things," and he flew at him. This
Nisus could not bear to see. He came out
from his hiding-place, crying: "I am the
man who did this: turn your swords on me.
He did not, nay, he could not do suck
deeds. He did but follow his friend." But
it was of no use. Volscens drove his sword
into the side of Euryalus. In a moment
the blood poured out all over him, and his
head drooped, like a wild flower in the
field when the plough goes over it, or a
poppy in the garden when its stalk is broken.
When Nisus saw this, he had but one
thought in his heart: *'Let me die, so
that at the least I may kill this Volscens."
And he rushed at him, and, for all that
his comrades could do to help him, drove
his sword right into his mouth and killed
him. Then, being himself pierced with many
wounds, he fell dead on the body of his
friend.
215
CHAPTER XVII
THE BATTLE AT THE CAMP
I
CHAPTER XVII
THE BATTLE AT THE CAMP
As soon as it was light the battle began.
The Latins had fixed the heads of Nisus
and Euryalus on poles; these were carried
round the camp so that all could see them,
and not a little grieved and troubled were
the Trojans at the sight. First the Latins
tried to take the camp by what was called
a "tortoise," because this creature has a very
thick and strong shell. Such a shell the soldiers
made over their heads, by putting their shields
together, and this so closely that no one could
thrust a spear through it. Underneath this
shield the men worked, some at filling up
the ditch and others at digging away the
wall. But the Trojans with great labour
rolled up a great rock from the inside on
to the wall, and this they pushed over so
that it fell upon the "tortoise" and broke
it down. Many were crushed to death,
and, after this, the Latins were not willing
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to fight any more in this way. But they
did not cease for a moment from attacking
the camp. Some put scaUng-ladders against
the wall, and climbed up by them to the
top of the wall. But the Trojans thrust
at them with poles and spears as they
chmbed, killing some and wounding some,
and pushing others off the steps of the
ladders, so that they fell to the ground.
And if one or other did climb to the top
and step on the wall, then he was one
against many, and could not hold his ground,
but was either killed or cast down to the
earth. But it was by fire that the great
harm was done to the Trojans. There was
a great tower upon the walls, which the
Latins tried to take, and the Trojans to
defend. On to this Turnus threw a lighted
torch, and the fire caught the wood of
which it was made and climbed from story
to story, for the wind was blowing and
made the flame the fiercer. In a short
time, the lower part being burnt away, the
whole tower fell forward, and all the men that
were in it perished, except two only. One
of them was now growing old, and was but
220
THE BATTLE AT THE CAMP
a slow runner, and he, seeing himself sur-
rounded by the enemy, threw himself on
to them where the spears were thickest,
and so died fighting. But the other was
a young man, very nimble and a great
runner, and he made his way through the
enemy even as far as the wall. And this
he climbed, and had now his hand upon
the top, when Turnus caught him from
behind. As an eagle catches a swan, or a
wolf a lamb, so he caught him and pulled
him down, and a great bit of the wall with
him, for the man clung to the wall with
all his might. So the battle grew fiercer
and fiercer. Many Trojans were slain and
many Latins.
And now came the time when the young
Ascanius was to put away childish things
and become a man. There was among the
Latins a certain Numanus, who was married
to the sister of Turnus. This man was not
a little proud of himself and of his family,
for, indeed, it was no small thing to be
brother-in-law to Turnus. So he stood in
the front rank and shouted out: "Men of
Troy, are you not ashamed to be besieged
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again? Were not the ten years enough for
you ? Why were you mad enough to come
to Italy? We are a hardy race. We dip
our new-born babes in the stream, and our
boys exercise themselves with hunting, and
our grown men have their hands always
either on the sword or on the plough.
And when we are old, we do not rest;
though our hair has grown white, we still
cover it with a helmet. But you, with
your mantles of purple, and your long sleeves
and your scents, you — Phrygian women, I call
you, not Phrygian men — what are you doing
here ? This is no place for you ! "
The young Ascanius could not put up
with such boasting. Never before had he
used his bow in battle, but only in hunting
wild beasts. But now he took an arrow
from his quiver, and put the notch upon
the string, and drew the bow with all his
strength, saying a prayer and making a vow
at the same time to Jupiter. Jupiter heard,
and thundered on the left hand; and even
as the thunder was heard, the arrow hissed
through the air, and struck Numanus on
the head, piercing it through from temple
222
THE BATTLE AT THE CAMP
to temple. "This is the answer, boaster,
which the Trojans, twice conquered though
they are, send to you." So he cried, and
I the people shouted for joy. Apollo, where
he sat in heaven, looking at the battle, saw
the deed. "Go on as you have begun, son
of Troy," he cried. But he said to himself:
"The lad must not grow over bold." So
he came down from heaven, taking the
shape of an old man who in time long
past had carried the armour of Anchises, and
now followed Ascanius. "It is enough,"
said the old man, "that you have slain
this boaster; but now stand out of the
battle."
Those who were standing by heard the
voice and looked, and as they looked he
vanished out of their sight; but they heard
the rattle of his quiver, and they knew that
it was the Archer-god himself. So they
told the boy that he must not draw his
bow again. And the battle grew fiercer
and fiercer.
Now there were two young men, twin
brothers, both tall as pine trees. The name
of one was Bitias, and the name of the other
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was Pandarus. These had been set to keep
the gate. And now they opened the gate,
and let the enemy come in; but as they
came in, the two standing in their places, one
on one side of the gate, and the other on
the other, struck them down. The Trojans
were glad to see it, and grew so bold that
they went out beyond the walls, though
iEneas had forbidden this, saying: "What-
ever may happen, still keep behind the walls."
And it would have been well for them if
they had obeyed him. For now Turnus him-
self saw what had been done, and he rushed
to the gate. First he killed one of the twin
brothers, namely Bitias. It was not by cast-
ing a javelin at him that he did it; that
had not been enough. He came close to
him, and struck him with a great spear
that he carried — a great spear with a great
point of Spanish iron, a foot and a half long.
Through the shield of bull's hide and through
a double coat of mail he drove it, and Bitias
fell, as a tree might fall, with his shield
over him.
When the Trojans saw that their champion
was dead, they were troubled, for Bitias was
224
THE BATTLE AT THE CAMP
one of the bravest and strongest of them.
And Pandarus, in his fear, thrust his broad
shoulders against the gate, and shut it again.
Some of his own people he left on the outside,
but Turnus himself he shut in, not knowing
that he had done it. Turnus raged for blood,
as a tiger rages when he has leapt into a
herd of cattle. And the Trojans fled before
him. But Pandarus did not flee. He was
not one who was afraid of any man, and,
besides, he hoped to have vengeance for his
brother. He cried to Turnus: **What are
you doing here? This is not your own
city; this is the camp of Troy, from which
you shall not go out alive." But Turnus
laughed to hear him boast, and said: *' Begin,
if you are so bold; maybe, you have found
another Achilles here in Italy." Then Pan-
darus threw his spear, a great shaft of pine-
wood with the bark still on it. With great
strength he threw it, but aimed it wrong —
some said that Juno turned it aside that it
struck the gate. Then Turnus raised his
sword high above his head, and struck with
all his might, rising to the blow. He brought
the sword down upon the head of Pandarus,
^NEID FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
and cleft it in two. Then, indeed, if
Turnus had but thought to open the gate
and let in his friends, there had been that
day an end of the war, and, indeed, of
Troy. But he was so greedy to kill that
he forgot. Many Trojans he killed, but the
gate was still shut, and the Latins could not
come in.
But now the Trojan chiefs were ashamed
to see that one man could do such harm.
They stirred the people with bitter words.
''Whither will you flee? What other walls
have you ? Are you not ashamed to betray
your chief? Will you suffer yourselves to
be conquered by one man?" Then the
Trojans took courage, and joined themselves
in a close array, so that Turnus could not
choose but give way before them. Just so a
lion gives way before a crowd of men. He
is frightened, and yet he is fierce. His
courage will not suffer him to fly, but when
there are so many against him, he dares
not stand. So it was with Turnus. Twice
he turned, and drove back the Trojans; and
twice they pressed him so hard that he
could not but give way. His shield was
226
THE BATTLE AT THE CAMP
broken, and his helmet bent in, and he him-
self wearied almost to death. At last, when
he came to where the river touched the
camp, he leapt into the stream, and swam
to the other side.
jf
227
CHAPTER XVIII
THE BATTLE ON THE SHORE
CHAPTER XVIII
THE BATTLE ON THE SHORE
While these things were going on at the
camp, iEneas made an alHance with the Tus-
cans under their chief Tarchon. To him he
told everything about himself — who he was and
whence he came, and how the gods had bidden
him settle in Italy. And Tarchon told it to
the people, and they, believing that ^Eneas was
indeed the man whom the gods had chosen
to be their chief, followed him willingly. So,
this matter being settled, he set out on his
way back to the camp, for he was not a little
anxious about his son and his people. He
went first in his ship, and Pallas, the son of
Evander, sat by him, and after him came
the ships of the Tuscans, and with the
Tuscans came others from the northern parts
of Italy, some eight thousand men in thirty
ships. All that night they rowed down the
river, and iEneas sat at the helm of his
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iENEID FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
ship, for his heart was too full of care to
suffer him to sleep. About midnight he
saw a strange sight. There came up to
the side of his ship a nymph. She laid one
hand upon the ship, and with the other
hand she swam. And he could see that
there were other nymphs behind her and by
her side. She said: '*Are you awake, son of
Venus ? It is well ; there are many things
for you to think about. I and my com-
panions whom you see were once your ships,
the ships which you built with the pines of
Mount Ida. Turnus was going to burn us
with fire, and Jupiter changed us into nymphs
as you see. Know that your son and your
people are besieged in the camp. Put on
the armour that the Fire-god made for you,
and hasten to help them." When she had
said this, she put her hand under the keel
of the ship, and pushed it on; and her
companions did the same to the other ships.
Quickly did they pass through the water,
and when the day began to break they were
at their journey's end.
Then iEneas passed the word along the
fleet, that every one should make himself
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THE BATTLE ON THE SHORE
ready for battle. He himself stood up on
the stern of his ship, and lifted his shield
in his left hand. Brightly did it flash in
the sunshine, and all the Trojans in the
camp saw it and were glad, for now, they
knew, their chief had come back to them.
Turnus also and his men saw it, and were
much astonished. For the sea was covered
with ships, and iEneas was in the midst of
them, and from his helmet and from his
shield there shone a terrible light, like the
light of a comet when it flares in the sky
at midnight. Nevertheless, Turnus did not
lose courage for a moment. He said to his
men: ''Now you have what you wished for.
Your enemies do not hide themselves behind
walls, but are come to meet you face to
face. Think now of your wives and chil-
dren, and fight for them, to keep them from
these robbers. And remember the great
deeds which your fathers did in the old time.
And now let us make haste, and fight with
these men before they can get firm footing
on land." So, leaving some of his people to
watch the camp, he made all the haste that
he could to keep the enemy from landing.
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But this he could not do. Some of them
had already made their way to the shore,
some on planks from the ship's side and
some jumping into the sea, where the waves
had broken and the water was flowing back,
and some running along the oars. As for
Tarchon, he spied a place where the sea
was calm, and told his men to run the
ships upon the beach. This they did. Only
Tarchon's own ship was driven on a ridge
of rock, and he and all his companions were
thrown out into the sea. Still, at last, they all
got safe on shore.
iEneas did many valiant deeds. Theron
he slew, who was the tallest man in all
the army of Turnus. The tallest he was,
and he wore a heavier and stronger coat
of mail than any other man, but ^Eneas
drove his spear through it. Then he slew
the two sons of Melampus, who was the
companion of Hercules. They, too, were
giants among men; one might have thought
that each was a second Hercules, for they
fought with clubs, but they could not stand
against iEneas. Then seven warriors, sons
of one man, came against him. They threw
234
THE BATTLE ON THE SHORE
seven spears at him at once. Some of
them he caught upon his shield, and some
almost grazed his body, but he was not
hurt by any. He cried to Achates: "Give
me spears enough: that which was good
enough for the killing of a Greek, is surely
good enough for a man of Italy/' And
two of the seven he killed. Many others
fell dead to the ground both on this side
and on that: neither would give way;
now a man of Italy was slain, and now a
Trojan, for they stood man against man,
and which was the bravest no one could say.
In another part of the field Pallas and
his Arcadians were fighting. The Arcadians
had been used to fight on horseback, but
now they were on foot, for they could not
bring their horses with them in the ships.
When Pallas saw that they fled before the
enemy, as men will do when they have to
fight in a way which they do not know,
he cried: **Now, by the name of your king,
Evander, stand firm! Stand, I beseech, if
you love me! How shall I show myself
worthy of my father, if you are not with
me and help me? These are but men
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iENEID FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
whom you see: you fly before them as i!
they were gods. Follow me, and I will
show you where you can win the most
renown." So saying, he rushed into the
thickest of the fight, and his people fol-
lowed him. The first that he killed was
one Lagus. As the man was lifting a great
stone from the ground, he ran him through
with his spear. Then while he tugged at
the spear to draw it out, another of the
Latins thought to slay him. But Pallas
turned, so nimble was he and so ready,
and struck him full in the breast with
his sword, so that he fell dead upon the
ground. Then there met him two twin
brothers; so like they were that neither
father nor mother knew one from the other.
But Pallas made a cruel diff^erence, cutting
off the head of the one and the right hand
of the other.
And now the nymph Juturna — she was
sister to Turnus — hastened to her brother,
and told him what havoc Pallas was making
among the Latins. At once he left the
place where he was fighting. As he drove
his chariot through the ranks of his army,
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THE BATTLE ON THE SHORE
he cried: "Leave Pallas to me; he is
mine: let no one presume to meddle with
him." Pallas heard him speak, and looked
at him, admiring him, so proudly did he
bear himself, and so noble was his look.
"This is one worth fighting with," he said.
"I shall either win spoils that will make
me famous for ever, or shall die with
honour." Then he rushed forward to meet
the enemy; but his Arcadians stood cold
with fear. Then Turnus leapt down from
his chariot: he would meet this bold youth
on equal terms. Pallas, before he threw
his spear, breathed a prayer to Hercules:
"O mighty hero, if you remember the
house where of old you were a guest, help
me to-day. May be I am overbold, to meet so
great a chief: yet, if it may be, help me to
lay that proud warrior level with the ground
and to spoil him of his arms." Hercules
heard the prayer, where he sat on his
throne in heaven; and it grieved him to
the heart that he could not help. Then
Jupiter said: "My son, the days of man
are but short, and each has his appointed
time. But the brave man lives after death
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by the praise which men give to noble
deeds. This youth must die, but he shall
not be forgotten. And for Turnus, too, the
day of death is near."
Then the two champions met. First Pallas
threw his spear. With all his might he
threw it. It pierced the shield of Turnus;
it pierced his coat of mail; it grazed the
skin of his shoulder. And Turnus stood
awhile, balancing his spear. Then saying,
**This, I think, will do better work," he
threw it, and with a better aim. It pierced
the shield, the stout bull's hide and the iron,
and the coat of mail, and struck Pallas full
on the breast. From breast to back it passed,
and in a moment he fell dead upon the plain.
Then Turnus stood over the dead man, and
said: "Men of Arcadia, take this message
to your king. I send him back his Pallas.
Let him bury his son with all honour — that
I do not grudge him; but it has cost him
dear that he had iEneas as his guest." So
saying, he put his foot upon the body, and
dragged from it the belt, a wonderful work
heavy with figures wrought in gold. Before
many days had passed, he would wish that
238
I
THE BATTLE ON THE SHORE
he had never taken it. Then the Arcadians
Hfted up the body of their young chief, and
laid it on the shield, and carried it out of
the battle.
When iEneas knew that Pallas had been
slain, and that his people were being beaten
in the battle, he made all the haste he could
to help them. Many of the enemy he killed,
nor would he have any mercy if any of
those whom he overcame begged for his life.
**No," he cried; ''now that Pallas is dead,
I will spare no one." So it was when two
brothers, who were riding in one chariot,
met him. At first they were very bold,
and boasted that they would kill him. The
one who was driving the horses shouted out:
"In the old time, when the Greeks fought
against Troy, you escaped. You escaped
from Diomed and from Achilles. But you
shall not escape from us. The end of your
battles and of your life is come." Not a
word did iEneas speak, but, before the boaster
was ready to fight, he threw his mighty
spear. Through the Italian's shield it passed,
and pierced his thigh, so that he fell dying
from the chariot. ''How is this?" cried
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^NEID FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
^neas, mocking him — "your horses arc
swift; they do not shy at shadows; they
are better than the horses of Diomed or of
Achilles: why do you leave them?'* Then
he caught the horses by the head, and the
brother that was left, cried out: **Have
pity on me; as you love father and mother,
spare me." But iEneas, mocking still, an-
swered: "Nay, nay, you would not, surely,
leave your brother/' And he drove his
sword into his breast.
When Juno saw that ^neas was driving
the Latins before him, and that no one could
stand up against him, she said to herself:
"This is the man's day of victory; if he
meets my Turnus, when he is in this mood,
he will surely conquer him." So she made
an image of ^Eneas which seemed to challenge
Turnus to battle. And when Turnus made
himself ready then the false ^Eneas fled, and
Turnus followed him. To the sea-shore he
fled; here there was a ship in which a
certain king had come to the war, and the
false iEneas seemed to hide himself in it.
Turnus, who was close behind, came after,
but when he searched he could find no one.
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THE BATTLE ON THE SHORE
While he was looking, Juno cut the cable
of the ship, and pushed it out to sea, so
that when Turnus looked, the water was
round him on every side. Never was man
more troubled and ashamed: '*0 Jupiter!"
he said, **what have I done that I should
be so disgraced ? What will the Latins
think of me when they see that I have
fled in this manner? How I wish that the
waves would swallow me up, or that the
winds would drive me to some place where
no one would ever see me again!" Three
times did he try to throw himself into the
sea; three times would he have run himself
through with his sword. But Juno would
not suffer it, and so brought him safely to
the city of his father. King Daunus.
And now King Mezentius came to help
the Latins. Wicked as he was, there was
no braver man or better fighter in the land.
Neither the Trojans nor the Tuscans could
stand up against him. He slew Mimas, a
Trojan, who was of the same age as Prince
Paris, and Actor, who, though he was a
Greek, had come to fight for ^Eneas. From
his own land he had come, leaving behind
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iENEID FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
him his promised wife, whose favour he wore
in his helmet. Orodes also he killed, the
tallest man in the army of iEneas. Orodes
cried, as he lay dying, "Whoever you
are, your end is near; you shall die as I
am dying; your grave is ready for you in
this land." But the king laughed, for he
was one who neither feared god nor regarded
man.
But now iEneas saw the king, and made
haste to meet him, and the king, on the
other hand, did not draw back. ''Let others
pray to the gods," he said: "my gods are
my right hand and my spear." And he
threw his spear: it struck the shield of
iEneas, but it could not pierce it, so strong
was it — was it not made by the Fire-god
himself? Yet it was not thrown in vain.
Glancing from the shield, it struck one of
the Arcadians in the side. The man had
been a comrade of Hercules, and now fol-
lowed King Evander. Then ^Eneas threw
his spear. It broke the shield of Mezentius,
and wounded him in the groin, but not
to death. And yet without doubt the king
would have died that hour, for ^Eneas drew
242
THE BATTLE ON THE SHORE
his sword, and pressed him hard, and he
could scarcely move for the spear in his
side. But when Lausus, his son, saw in what
a strait his father was, he leapt forward,
and took the blow of the sword upon his
shield. And his companions followed him,
with a great shout, and threw their spears
at iEneas, and kept him back by force. He
would not fly, but neither could he advance.
Under the shower of spears he stood, as a
traveller stands when a storm falls upon
him in the road. Nevertheless his heart
was moved when he saw how Lausus came
to the help of his father — he also had helped
his father in old time. Gladly would he
have spared the young man; and he cried
to Lausus : '' Madman, what do you want ?
To conquer me .? Nay : that is too much
for your strength." But Lausus gave him
no heed, but still pressed on. Then iEneas
grew angry, and the time was come for
Lausus when he must die. One blow with
his sword did iEneas give him. It cut the
shield in two, and broke through the coat
of mail, and laid him dead upon the plain,
^neas was sorry to see him lie dead: ''What
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can I do for you, noble boy?" he said. "You
had a great pleasure in your arms: keep
them: I will not take them; your father,
also, shall have your body to bury as he
will. It is something, too, that you were
killed by .^neas." So he lifted the boy
from the ground, and told his comrades to
carry him away.
Meanwhile his father sat by a tree on
the bank of the river, while his people
looked to the wound. He had hung his
helmet on a branch, and his arms lay upon
the ground. Once and again he asked about
Lausus; and he sent a message to him that
he should come back. And now^ his com-
rades came, carrying the body on a shield.
The king saw it while it was yet a long
way off, and he knew what it was, and took
the dust from the earth, and threw it upon
his white hair. '*Oh! my son," he cried,
*'why did I wish so much to live that I
let you meet the sword of the enemy in
my place ? Is it indeed true that you are
dead and I am still alive ? Ah ! my son,
now I know that my evil deeds were a
shame to you! Oh that I had died for
244
THE BATTLE ON THE SHORE
you, and not you for me! Now I must
die, but not yet: there is something that I
would first do, if indeed the gods permit —
I would avenge my son."
Then he said: ** Fetch me my horse."
This horse was his pride and joy. From
many a battle it had brought him back a
conqueror. Very sad was the beast as it
came, and the great tears rolled down its
cheeks. And the king said: ''O Rhcebus,
you and I have lived long enough, if any-
thing be for long in this world. To-day
you shall bring back the head and arms of
^neas, and we will have vengeance together
for our Lausus; or you shall die with me.
For a Trojan master you would never, I
know, endure."
So he mounted upon his horse, and took
a spear in either hand, and rode to meet
iEneas. Three times he called out: "I am
coming, ^Eneas!" And .Eneas was glad, and
cried out: "Are you coming, indeed? The
gods be thanked therefor. And now begin."
Mezentius answered: ''Do not try to frighten
me; I can suffer nothing more, now that my
son is dead. No: I am come to die; but
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^NEID FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
first here is my gift; take it." And he
threw his spear. Spear after spear he threw,
but they could not break the mighty shield.
And iEneas stood still, watching his time.
At the last, he stepped from out the shelter
of the shield, and threw his spear. It struck
the king's horse full on the head, between
the temples. And the horse reared, and
lashed the air with his front feet, and fell
with his rider beneath him. Loud did the
Trojans and the Latins shout when they saw
It, those for joy and these for fear. Then
iEneas ran, and stood over him, with his
sword drawn in his hand: ''Where is the
great Mezentius now?" he said. And the
king answered: ''Have done with your
threats; slay me; I do not blame you. I
never bargained with you for my life, nor
did Lausus, my son, when he died for me.
Only grant me this. You know that my
people hate me. Keep my body from them,
and let my son be buried with me in one
grave." So he yielded his throat to the
sword, and feared not.
246
CHAPTER XIX
THE COUNCIL
CHAPTER XIX
THE COUNCIL
The next day ^Eneas made a great oflfering
to Mars, the god of war. He took a young
oak tree, and lopped off all the boughs,
and set it on the top of a mound. On this
he hung the arms of King Mezentius, the
helmet with its crest red with blood, and
the spears with their heads broken off, and
the coat of mail pierced in twelve places.
On the left one branch remained; on this
he hung the shield, and on the trunk itself
he hung by its belt the sword with its
ivory hilt. This done, he called the chiefs
about him, and said: "We have done much:
this is all that is left of the great Mezentius.
But there is more to do. Let us go against
the city of King Latinus. This will we do
to-morrow. But now let us pay due honour
to the dead. We owe very much to them;
for have they not bought a country for us
with their own blood ? And first among the
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iENEID FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
dead is Pallas. His body we will send back
to his father."
So he went to the tent where the body
had been laid. Old Acoetes, who had been
armour-bearer to King Evander, sat watching
by the head, and the Trojan women sat on
the ground, and wailed and wept. And when
iEneas saw the head lying as if in sleep, and
the great wound in the breast, he wept.
When he could speak, he said: "Surely I
hoped that you would see me established in
my kingdom, and go back with gifts and
honour to your father. But this was not
to be. And he may be even now praying
for your safe return. Well, at least he will
see that you bear your wound in front.
But, O Italy! what a son dost thou lose;
and you, Ascanius, what a friend!"
So they made a bier of arbutus and oak,
and laid the body on it, covered with branches
of trees. Like a flower it lay — a violet or
a hyacinth which some girl has picked.
It has colour and beauty still, but it must
fade, for the earth does not nourish it any
more, ^neas wrapped one purple robe woven
with threads of gold round the body, and
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THE COUNCIL
another round the head. Some carried the
arms which Pallas had won in battle; another
carried his helmet and shield — the other
arms Turnus had taken; and yet another
led his charger. It walked with its head
to the ground, and the great tears rolled
down its cheeks. Behind these, again, fol-
lowed the whole company, Trojans and
Tuscans, whom ^Eneas sent to follow the
dead. They walked holding their swords
and shields with their points to the ground.
iEneas said: "The cares and sorrows of war
call me: good-bye, my Pallas, good-bye for
ever!"
And now there came ambassadors from
the city with crowns of olive on their heads,
praying for truce, that they might bury the
dead. ^Eneas answered: ''You ask for peace
for the dead: I would gladly give it to the
living. I have come to this land by the
will of the gods. Once your King was
glad to see me; if now he has changed and
would have Turnus for his friend, the fault
is not mine. If Turnus is not pleased,
let him come forth, and meet me in fight,
man to man. When he will, I am ready.
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iENEID FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
But now let there be truce: bury your
dead/'
So a truce was made for twelve days.
And the Trojans and the Latins went up
into the woods which were upon the hills,
and worked side by side, cutting down trees
— cedars and pines and mountain ashes. The
Trojans built up great piles of wood upon
the sea-shore, and laid on them the bodies
of their comrades who had been killed, and
on the bodies they put the arms which they
had borne in life. The Latins did the same;
only they built the piles near to the city.
While they were doing this, those who had
been chosen to carry the body of Pallas took
it to the city of Evander, and there a great
mourning was made for him.
When the burning of the dead was finished,
there was a great tumult in the city. Many
had lost husbands, and many sons, and many
brothers. All these cried out against the
war: *'It is an evil war," they said; *'why
should we suffer because Turnus wishes to
marry the king's daughter? Why does he
not fight for her with ^Eneas, man to man,
and so make an end of these troubles?"
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THE COUNCIL
While they were saying these things the
ambassadors who had been sent to King
Diomed, to ask for his help, came back.
And this was the story which they told,
when King Latinus had called the chiefs to-
gether, and bade them speak: ''We came
to Arpi, to the city of King Diomed. The
man received us, and asked us why we had
come and what we wanted. And when we
told him that we wanted him to help us
against iEneas and the Trojans, he said:
*Men of Italy, why do you fight against
the gods ? Do you not know that all of
us who fought against Troy have suffered
many things ? Ajax was struck by a thunder-
bolt, and Menelaijs was driven to the end
of the earth, and Ulysses lost all his comrades
and was left alone, and Agamemnon was
murdered in his own home! And you see
how I am an exile here, for I never saw
wife or home again. Fight no more against
the men of Troy. You have brought gifts
for me; take them back, and give them
to iEneas. I have fought with him, and
know what he is, with what strength he
rises to the stroke of his sword and casts
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iENEID FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
his spear. I tell you this: if there had
been in the army of Troy two others as
good as he, the Trojans would have come
to the very gates of Argos, and Greece
would have suffered what she wrought.
These two men, Hector and iEneas, bore up
against us for ten years, and ^Eneas is the
dearer to the gods, ay, and he is a goddess'
son. Make peace with him while you may.'"
So spoke the chief of the ambassadors,
and sat down; and there was a murmur in
the council, some saying one thing and some
another. Then King Latinus stood up and
spoke: ''This is not a good time for taking
counsel; the enemy is outside our walls.
Yet hear my sentence. King Diomed will
not help us, and you know that twice we
have been beaten in battle. We will offer
peace. If these Trojans wish to stay in
this land, they shall have my kingdom. If
they choose to depart, we will build ships
for them as many as they want. And now
we will send ambassadors with gifts — gold,
and ivory, and royal robes, and a throne
such as a king might sit on. And iEneas
shall choose whether he will go or stay."
254
THE COUNCIL
Then stood up Drances. He was but
feeble in fight, but he was a great speaker
and wise in counsel. "You do well, O
King, to offer peace. But there is yet
something else; all men know what it is,
but they dare not say it. Turnus is the man
whose pride and self-will are bringing us to
ruin. It is he who does not suffer us to
speak the truth. But I will speak it though
I die for it. Give ^Eneas these gifts of yours,
but add to them another. Give him your
daughter, and make peace sure for ever.
And you, Turnus, yield this thing. We
beg it of you — I, whom you count your
enemy, yes, I beg it of you. But if you
will not, if your heart is still hard, if you
put a royal wife before your country's good,
then at the least do this. Do not call on
us to die for you and your marriage; meet
^neas face to face."
Then Turnus sprang up from his place
in a mighty rage. "You are always full
of words, O Drances; when the senators are
called together, you are always the first to
come and the first to speak. But what have
you done in battle? Come, show your
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courage now. The enemy is close at hand.
Let us go and meet him. You hang back,
and yet you doubt my courage ! Have you
not heard of Pallas whom I slew, and of
the two brothers who kept the Trojans' gate,
and of all whom I laid low when they shut
me within their walls? And now, let me
say a word to you, my king and father.
If you think that it is enough to have been
once defeated, if you have no hope that
fortune may yet change — be it so : let us
pray for peace. Happy the man — that is
all that I can say — who shall have died before
seeing such foul disgrace. But if we have
some strength still left to us; if there are
cities and nations who yet will help us; if
these Trojans have bought their victory dear,
why do we lose courage ? Why do we faint
before the trumpet-sound ? Diomed will not
help us; but there are princes of Italy as
good as he who will fight for us. Even
now the great Camilla, with her maiden
warriors, is at hand. And for myself — if it
please you that I should fight, hand to hand,
with this man, let it be so; I do not refuse.
Let him be the son of a goddess, and wear
256
THE COUNCIL
the arms which a god has made, I am ready;
my Hfe is for my country and my king."
And now, while they were still speaking,
there came a messenger with the news that
the Trojans were marching from their camp.
Great was the uproar. Some cried out for
arms, and some cried out for peace. As
for Turnus, he shouted: "Call your councils,
and talk of peace if you will. The enemy
is at the gates, and I go to meet him."
And he rushed out of the senate-house.
257
J
CHAPTER XX
THE DEEDS AND DEATH OF CAMILLA
i
CHAPTER XX
THE DEEDS AND DEATH OF CAMILLA
TuRNUs gave to all his people the work that
they should do. Some should strengthen
the walls and the gates of the city, and
some should make the trench deeper, and
some should follow him into battle. Such
as were neither strong nor brave could at
least gather a store of stones and stakes.
While the men were busy with these
things, the women, with the queen and
her daughter leading them, went to
the Temple of Juno and prayed for help.
** Break,'' said the queen, "the spear of
this Phrygian robber, and lay him low
before the city."
When Turnus had given his orders, he
armed himself, and ran down from the cita-
del. At the gate there met him Camilla
with her maidens, riding on horses, and
armed, all of them, for battle. She said
to him: "Turnus, stay you here and defend
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the city. I and my maidens will meet the
Trojans and the Tuscans/' Turnus an-
swered: "'That is well said, lady. I can
never thank you enough for the help you
give me. But as for the city, it is safe
enough. I and my men will lie in ambush
in the valley by which this JEneas will
approach the city. Do you meet the
enemy in front, and I, when the time shall
come, will charge them from the side.''
Now the story of Camilla is this. She
was the daughter of a certain king, Metabus
by name, who was driven out of his king-
dom by his subjects on account of his
cruelty. He fled for his life, taking with
him his little daughter, whom he carried
in his arms. He came in his flight to a
certain river, and the river was swollen
with rain, so that it ran high and strong.
The man could not swim with the child
in his arms, and his enemies were close
behind, so he took the spear that he carried
on his back, and bound the child to it with
strips of bark, and made ready to throw it.
As he balanced it in his hand, he prayed
to Diana, saying: "O Goddess! I give thee
262
DEEDS AND DEATH OF CAMILLA
this child to be thy servant for ever, if thou
wilt save her now." Then he cast the spear
across the river with all his might, and,
Diana giving strength to his arm, it fell
on the other side. Then he himself leapt
into the water, and, swimming across, so
escaped from his enemies. After this he
never lived in house or town, but with
the shepherds on the hills, and the child he
fed with mare's milk and the like things.
As soon as she could walk he gave her a
little javelin to carry, and when she was a
little stronger, a bow and arrows. She wore
no gold or jewels, nor had she long skirts
like a girl. From a child she could sling
a stone in a wonderful way, hitting the
cranes and the wild swans as they flew high
in the air. Tall and strong and beautiful
was she when she grew up, and many
Tuscan mothers desired to have her for a
daughter-in-law, but she had no thought of
marriage, only of hunting and fighting.
The goddess Diana, as she sat in heaven,
said to Opis, who was chief of the nymphs
who waited on her: ''Opis, Camilla goes
to fight in this war. Would that she had
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^NEID FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
not thought of it! There is not a girl in
Italy that I love more, and have loved ever
since she was a child. But her fate is on
her, and she must die. Now I give you
this charge. Go down to the Latin land,
where they are beginning just now this
evil war; take with you your bow and
your arrows, and see that any man who
harms her shall himself be slain. And when
she is dead no man shall spoil her of her
arms; but I will carry back her body to
her native land."
And now iEneas and the Trojans cam.e
towards the city, the horsemen being in
front. One of these, a Tuscan, was the first
to kill his man. He charged against a Latin
chief, and drove him from his horse, making
him fly through the air, as a stone flies from
an engine. When the Latins saw him, they
turned and fled. And the Trojans and Tus-
cans followed them. But when they came
near the city, then those that stood upon
the walls, the old men and the boys and the
women, threw sticks and stones at them, and
the soldiers took courage and faced about.
Then the Trojans, in their turn, fled, and
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DEEDS AND DEATH OF CAMILLA
the Latins pursued them. So it happened
twice. But when they met for the third
time, then neither would the one side nor
the other give way. Both of them stood
firm, and there was a great slaughter. Many
did valiantly, but none was equal to Camilla.
Sometimes she would fight with a battle-axe
and sometimes with her bow and arrows.
Never did she strike a man with her battle-
axe but she laid him low upon the earth;
never did she aim an arrow at a man, but
she killed him. One of these was the
hunter Ornytus, who was the tallest of the
Tuscans. He had a wolfs head with great
white teeth for helmet, and in his hand
he carried a hunting spear. But strong as
he was, Camilla overcame him, and as he
lay dying on the ground she mocked him:
"Did you think, O Tuscan, that you were
hunting wild beasts to-day? Lo! a woman's
arms have brought all your boasts to
nothing." So she raged through the field,
slaying Trojans and Tuscans alike. One of
the Ligurians, the son of Annus, thought to
escape in this way. He said to her: *'Let
us fight on foot; you have so swift a horse
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^NEID FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
that no one can fight with you on equal
terms." Camilla answered: "Be it so; we
will fight on foot." And she leapt from her
horse, and gave it to one of her companions
to hold. But the other turned his horse to
flee, foolish man, not knowing that Camilla
could run faster than any horse in the world.
But so it was; she outran the horse, and
stood in front of it, catching the reins in
her hand, and so killed him.
Then Tarchon the Tuscan shouted out to
his horsemen: **What is this, you cowards?
Shall a woman drive you before her? You
are ready for the dance and feast, and you
lag behind in battle. Follow me." And
he rode at Venulus, prince of Tibur, and
caught him in his arms, dragging him from
his horse. So an eagle catches up a snake
in his claws and carries him off, and the
snake winds himself round the bird, and
hisses. Thus did Tarchon carry ofT his
enemy, looking for a place where to strike
him, for he was covered with armour, and
the man tried to keep the sword from his
throat. When the Trojans and the Tuscans
saw this, they took courage again.
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DEEDS AND DEATH OF CAMILLA
All this time a certain Arruns, a great
archer, was watching Camilla, looking for a
chance to kill her. There was a certain
priest who was riding in the midst of the
battle very splendidly adorned. There were
clasps of gold on his armour and the armour
of his horse. He wore a purple robe which
had come from Tyre; he had a Lycian bow,
adorned with gold; his helmet also shone
with gold; and his scarf had a ring of
gold, and his tunic was rich with the finest
needlework. Never was there such a sight
to see. And Camilla, having a woman's love
of beautiful things, followed him, caring for
nothing, and thinking of nothing, but how
she might take these splendid spoils. Now
Arruns lay in ambush, and when he saw
Camilla, how she followed the priest, and
thought of nothing else, he said to himself,
"Now is the time.'' And he prayed to
Apollo: ''Lord of the bow, help me now,
if ever I and my people have done honour
to you. I ask no glory for myself. Only
let me slay this fury, though I go back to
my country without honour." Part of this
prayer the god heard and answered, but
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part was scattered by the winds. For he
drew his bow to the full, and let fly the
arrow. And when the people heard the
twang of the bow, for they could not see
the man, they all turned. But Camilla took
no heed; she had no thought of the arrow
till it struck her under the left breast. She
reeled upon her horse, and her companions
closed round her and caught her as she
fell. Once she laid her hand on the arrow
and would have drawn it out, but it had gone
too deep. Then her eyes swam in death,
and the colour that was as the colour of a
rose faded from her cheek. Only as she
died, she said, for her thoughts were still
with the battle, so keen a fighter was she:
**Acca, my sister, tell Turnus to come forth
from his ambush, and join in the battle, if
he would keep the Trojans from the walls
of the city." So she died.
Now Arruns, at the first, lay in hiding,
for he was afraid, so great a deed had he
done. After a while, he came out from his
place, and began to boast. Then Opis drew
her bow with all her strength, till the ends
came almost together. With her right hand
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DEEDS AND DEATH OF CAMILLA
she held the bow-string, and with her left
the arrow-head. So she let the shaft fly.
Arruns heard the twang, and even while he
heard it, he fell dead upon the plain. And
now the companions of Camilla flew, as
did also the Latins and the allies. The dust
of the battle came nearer and nearer to the
walls, and a great cry went up to the heaven.
Great was the fear and the confusion. Some
were trodden down by their own people,
so that they died even in sight of their own
homes. And the keepers of the gates shut
them close, so that their own friends were
left outside.
And now Acca had carried to Turnus, as
he lay in ambush, the news of how her
sister was dead, and how the battle went
against his people. Immediately he rose up
from his place, and made all haste to the
city. And it chanced that at the very same
time JEntzs had come through the valley
and passed over the ridge. The two saw
each other; but the night was now falling,
so that they could not meet in battle.
269
CHAPTER XXI
THE BROKEN TREATY
CHAPTER XXI
THE BROKEN TREATY
That night there was much talk in the
city of King Latinus, for the king and
Turnus and the queen could not agree
among themselves. Nothing would satisfy
Turnus but that he should fight with iEneas,
man to man. Twice had he seen the Latins
and their aUies beaten in battle; many of
his friends had been slain; and the people
looked to him that he should keep his
promise, for, indeed, he had sworn that he
would meet iEneas in single combat. He
said, therefore, to the king, pretending, as
men will do, to be more sure of victory
than he was in his heart: *'My father, these
Trojan cowards shall not go back from their
word. I will meet this man face to face,
and will kill him before your eyes. But if
the gods will have it that he should prevail
over me, let it be so; you shall be his servants,
and Lavinia shall be his wife."
273
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King Latinus was in a sore strait. Turnus
he loved, and would willingly have had him
for a son-in-law, if the gods had not for-
bidden. And he would not have him die.
Why should he not be content and depart?
So he said: "Think awhile, my son; you
will have a kingdom in due time, even the
kingdom of your father Daunus. And there
are other maidens in Italy, noble of birth
and fair to look upon, whom you may have
to wife. Why will you not be content?
I would have given you my daughter
Lavinia; but, as you know, the gods forbade.
I have been weak, I know; I have changed
my purpose, for, indeed, I loved you much,
and my wife also moved me with her tears.
But see what troubles I and my people have
suffered! Twice have we been beaten in
battle, and now only the city is left to us,
and even this is in danger. If I must yield
to these men, why must I also lose you?
What shall I profit if you die? Will not
my people cry shame upon me, if I suffer it ? "
The queen, also, was set against the thought
of the single combat. **0h! my son,'* she
cried, **do not fight with this stranger.
274
THE BROKEN TREATY
What shall I do if you are slain! One
thing I know: I will not live to see JEnc^s
my son-in-law.'*
And Lavinia wept to hear her mother
speak in this way, and to think that all
this was on account of her. She wept, and
her face grew crimson with shame. Her
face was as when ivory is stained with
crimson, or as when roses are mixed with
lilies. Never had she seemed so fair; and
when Turnus saw her, his heart burned with
love. He turned to the queen, and said:
"My mother, do not trouble me with tears
and prayers. To this battle I must go.*'
Then he called the herald, and said: "Go
to the Trojan king, and bear this message.
Turnus says, *We two will fight man to
man to-morrow, and the people shall have
peace. And he that prevails shall have
Lavinia for his wife.' "
The next day the men of Italy and the
men of Troy measured out a piece of ground
where these two, iEneas and Turnus, should
fight together. In the middle of the ground
they built an altar of turf. And the Trojans
sat on one side with their allies, and the
275
iENEID FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
Latins on the other, with their spears fixed
in the earth, and their shields laid by their
sides. And all the walls of the city were
crowded with women and old men to see
the fight.
When everything was now ready, the two
kings came to make the agreement. First
came Latinus, sitting in a chariot drawn by
four horses. On his head he had a crown
with twelve spikes which were like to rays
of sunlight, for the king was of the race of
the Sun. Turnus came in a chariot drawn
by two white horses, holding a spear in
either hand. And iEneas came, clad in the
armour which the Fire-god had made for
him, and his son Ascanius by his side.
First, they offered sacrifice on the altar.
When this was done, iEneas laid his hand
upon the altar, and swore: "If this day the
victory shall fall to Turnus, the Trojans shall
go to the city of Evander, and shall trouble
this land no more. But if the gods shall
give the victory to me, then things shall
be thus ordered. The Latins shall not serve
the Trojans. The two nations shall be equal.
King Latinus shall still be king even as he
276
THE BROKEN TREATY
is to-day. The Trojans shall build a new
city for me, and Lavinia shall call it after
her own name."
King Latinus also laid his hand upon the
altar, and swore, calling on the gods that
were in heaven and the gods that were below
the earth: *' Surely this treaty shall stand fast
for ever and ever. See this sceptre which I
carry in my hand ! Once it was the branch of
a tree, but a workman closed it in bronze, and
made it a sceptre for the king of the Latins.
As surely as it will never again bear twig or
leaf, so surely shall this treaty stand fast for
ever." But while he was speaking, Juno had
it in her mind to break the treaty. She said
to Juturna, who was sister to Turnus: "See
you how these two are about to fight, man to
man? Do you not know how this will end?
Do you not see that your brother goes to his
death ? As for me, I will have nothing to
do with this treaty or this fight. But if
you can do anything for your brother, now
is the time." And when the nymph wept and
beat her breast, Juno said: "This is no time
for tears: save your brother, if you can, from
death. And first cause this treaty to be broken."
277
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Now the Latins, as they sat and looked
on what was being done, liked it little. It
had seemed to them even before that the
fight between these two would not be equal.
And now, seeing the two men, that iEneas
was bold and confident, and that Turnus
walked with his eyes upon the ground, and
looked pale and sad, they were more afraid
that the fight would go against their own
champion. So they began to murmur, and to
talk among themselves. When the nymph
perceived this, she took upon herself the
shape of one Gamers, who was a great
prince and warrior, and went to and fro
among the people, saying: "Are you not
ashamed, men of Italy, to allow one man
to do battle for you all? Look at these
Trojans! See how few they are. There
is scarcely one of them for two of you.
And if your champion should be overcome
how great the shame! He shall gain glory,
though he die, but you will suffer disgrace,
for whatever the king of these strangers may
say, you will surely be servants to them."
And while the man went about among
the army, saying these and other like things,
278
THE BROKEN TREATY
there was shown — for so Juno contrived it —
a sign in heaven. An eagle drove a great
flock of birds before him, and, swooping
down from the air to the water, caught a
swan in his claws, and began to carry him
away. And lo! the flock of birds that had
fled from him, turned again and drove the
eagle before them, so that he dropped the
swan and flew away. Then King Tolumnius,
who was skilful in seeing the meaning of
such things, cried out: '*See you this, my
friends? This is such a sign as I have looked
for. This eagle is the Trojan stranger; you
are the birds: hitherto you have fled before
him; now you turn, and he will flee before
you."
And as he spoke he threw his spear, and
hit one of the men of King Evander below
the belt. He was one of nine brothers,
sons of a Greek, but their mother was a
Tuscan woman. And as his brothers saw
him fall dead upon the ground, they caught
their spears from where they stood fixed in
the ground, and ran forward. So the battle
began. First the altar was thrown down,
and the wood that was burning on it was
279
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taken for firebrands. When King Latinus
saw this, he mounted his chariot and fled
from the place. Then Messapus killed the
king of Mantua close to the altar, so that
he fell dead upon it. And Messapus cried:
"This is indeed a noble offering!" And not
a few others were slain, both on this side
and on that.
As for iEneas, he stood in his place by
the altar, with his head bare, not having
either spear or sword in his hand, and cried
to the people: **What do you want? Have
we not made a treaty? It is not for you
to fight. Between you there is peace. The
battle is for Turnus and for me.''
When he was thus speaking, there came
an arrow out of the crowd and struck him
in the arm. Who shot the arrow no one
ever knew, for no man dared to boast that
he had wounded the great ^neas. Then
the chiefs led him out of the battle to the
camp.
280
CHAPTER XXII
THE DEATH OF TURNUS
CHAPTER XXII
THE DEATH OF TURNUS
Now that iEneas had gone away, Turnus
raged more furiously than ever. He drove
his chariot right through the host of Trojans,
and slew chiefs on either side as he went.
One of them was the son of Dolon, who
went to spy out what the Greeks were
doing in their camp before Troy, and asked
— foolish man that he was — for the horses
of Achilles as his pay. Turnus struck him
to the ground with a javelin, and put his
foot upon him and said: *'And did you
too ask for pay? Take, then, so much of
the land of Italy as you lie upon." The
Trojans and Tuscans fled before him. Only
one man dared to stand up before him —
Phegeus was his name. He caught at the
bridles of the horses, trying to stop the
chariot. But the horses dragged him along,
and Turnus thrust his spear through his
coat of mail. But Phegeus was not afraid.
283
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He loosed the bridles, and, putting his
shield before him, made at Turnus with
his sword, but Turnus dealt him a great
blow where the coat of mail joined on to
the helmet, and cut off his head.
Meanwhile Achates and Ascanius led iEneas
to the camp. Very slowly did he walk,
leaning heavily on his spear. And first he
tried to draw out the arrow with his own
hand, but could not. Then he sent for
lapis the physician, and said: **Cut deep;
only take out the arrow, and send me back
to the battle." Now lapis was dear to
Apollo; and when the god was ready to
give him all his arts, music, and the use
of the bow, and to know what was going
to happen, he chose rather to have the
gift of healing. For his father was an old
man and about to die, and lapis wished
to give him a longer life. And now he
did all that he could for iEneas, trying to
draw out the arrow from the wound with
his pincers, and could not. All the while
the battle came nearer and nearer, and the
noise grew louder, and the sky was dark
with clouds of dust, and the javelins fell
284
THE DEATH OF TURNUS
thick into the camp. Then Venus, seeing
the trouble which had come upon her son,
brought him help. It was a healing herb
which she knew; the wild goats when
they have been wounded by the hunter's
arrows seek it out. This she brought, and
dipped into the water which lapis was
using, but no one saw her when she came
or when she went. And lapis, not know-
ing what had been done, used the water,
in which the herb had been dipped. Im-
mediately the pain ceased, and the blood
was stanched, and the arrow came of its
own accord out of the wound. Then he
said to iEneas: "It is no skill of mine, my
son, that has done this. The gods call you
to your work." And now iEneas felt that
all his strength was restored to him, and he
armed himself, and, having kissed Ascanius,
went back to the battle. And when his
people saw him, they took courage again,
and shouted, and charged the Latins and
drove them back to the city. Many of their
chiefs were slain, among them the man who
had broken the treaty; but ^Eneas would
not turn his hand against any. He looked
285
iENEID FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
for Turnus, and cared nothing about the
others. When the sister of Turnus saw this,
she was much afraid; so, running up to her
brother's chariot, she pushed the driver from
his place, and took the reins herself; but
the man did not know what had happened,
only he found himself left behind, nor did
Turnus know anything about it. She drove
the chariot, first to one part of the field,
then to another, just as a bird flies about
in some room of the house. i^Eneas saw
him, and followed, calling out: "Stop, coward,
and fight;" but the nymph turned the horses
about and fled away. And once JEnt^s
came near to being killed, for he did not
notice how King Messapus stood ready to
throw a spear at him. Just in time he saw
it, and dropped on his knee, holding his
shield before him. Yet the spear struck
the top of his helmet, and cut off the crest.
This made him angry, and he ceased to
pursue Turnus, and, rushing into the army
of Latins, made a great slaughter. After
a while it came into his mind to attack
the city, for he said to himself: **If I attack
the city, surely Turnus will come to help,
286
THE DEATH OF TURNUS
and we shall meet/' So he called to the
chiefs, saying: **Come, we will go against
the city. I will lay it even with the ground,
and its people within it, if they do not keep
their promise. As for this Turnus, why
should I pursue him?'*
Then the whole army made for the walls
of the city. Some carried burning torches
in their hands, and some scaling-ladders.
Some made at the men who kept the gates,
and others threw javelins at those who stood
on the walls. There was a great strife in
the city. Some said: "Let us open the
gates, and ask these Trojans to have mercy
on us, before it is too late." Others said:
*'Not so! we will fight for our own city to
the last."
The queen stood on the roof of the palace,
watching the battle. When she saw how
the Trojans were attacking the city, and that
her own people were not there to help it, she
said to herself: "Turnus is dead, or surely he
would be here: it is I who have brought him
to his death." And she made a noose out
of the purple garment which she wore, and
hanged herself from a beam in the roof.
287
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When the people knew this, there was great
lamentation in the city, and King Latinus
rent his clothes and threw dust upon his
white hair.
And now the cry of the people in the
city was so loud that it came to the ears of
Turnus, where he fought in the farthest
part of the plain. He caught the reins, saying :
**What means this cry from the city?
Surely there is trouble. I will go to their
help!" But the false driver said: "Nay, my
lord, fight here where the gods are giving
you the victory. There are enough to defend
the city.'' But Turnus said: '*Nay, my
sister, for I know who you are, it must not
be so. Why did you come down from
heaven? Was it to see your brother die?
My friends have been slain: shall I see the
city destroyed ? Shall the Latins see Turnus
fly from his enemy? The gods of the living
have left me. Receive me, O gods of the
dead, for indeed, I have sought to do the
thing that is right." While he was speaking,
a chief came riding up, his horse covered
with foam, and with the wound of an arrow
in his face. "O Turnus," he cried, "you
288
THE DEATH OF TURNUS
are our last hope. .Eneas is about to destroy
the city, and his men are throwing Ughted
torches on to the roofs. Only Messapus
and a few chiefs keep up the fight, while
you are driving your chariot about these
empty fields."
Then Turnus leapt from his chariot, and
ran as fast as he could to the city. Where
the blood ran deepest on the earth and the
arrows were flying thickest in the air, he
ran. He beckoned to his men, and cried:
*'Stay your arrows; stand still; I am come
to fight for you all." When ^neas saw
it, he left attacking the city, and came to
meet his enemy. Both the armies stood and
looked, for, indeed, they were two mighty
chiefs.
First they cast their spears at each other;
then they ran together, and their shields
struck together with a great crash. First
Turnus rose to his height, and struck a
great blow with his sword, and all the
Trojans and all the Latins cried out when
they saw him strike — these with hope and
those with fear. But the treacherous sword
was broken in the blow. And when Turnus
289
iENEID FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
saw the empty hilt in his hand, he turned
to fly. They say that when he mounted his
chariot that day to go to the battle he left
his father's sword behind him, not thinking
what he was doing, and took in its place
the sword of his charioteer. This served
him well enough while he was fighting with
others, but when he came to the shield
which the Fire-god had made, it broke like
ice. So Turnus fled, and -^neas, though he
was yet somewhat hindered by his wound,
pursued him. And Turnus cried out: "Give
me a sword." But iEneas cried: "If any
one helps him I will burn the city to the
ground." Five times round the space be-
tween the two armies they ran, and Turnus
could not escape, nor could ^Eneas take hold
of his enemy. Now there stood in the plain
the stump of a wild olive tree, and it was
sacred to the god Faunus. In this the spear
of iEneas had fixed itself when he cast it at
Turnus but had not hit him. Now he tried
to pull it forth. But Turnus cried to the
god: "O Faunus, if I have kept sacred the
things which the Trojans have profaned, hold
fast this spear." And so it was, for iEneas
THE DEATH OF TURNUS
could not draw it forth. And while he
struggled with it, the nymph, the sister
of Turnus, taking the form of the charioteer,
ran up, and put his own sword into his
hand. When Venus saw this, she, too, came
down, and drew the spear from the stump.
Then said Jupiter to Juno, as they sat
watching the battle: "How long wilt thou
fight against fate — What wilt thou? Was
it well that the nymph should give back to
Turnus his sword ? Thou hast driven the
Trojans over land and sea, and filled Italy
with death, and turned the marriage song
into mourning. Further thou must not go."
And Juno answered humbly: ''This is
thy will, father of gods and men, and I yield.
But grant me this: do not let the Latins
be called by the name of Troy, or change
their dress, or their speech. Let Rome rule
the world, but let Troy perish for ever."
And Jupiter answered: *Tt shall be so;
all that thou askest I will give. The Italians
shall not change name, or dress, or speech.
The men of Troy shall become Latins, and
by none wilt thou be more honoured than
by them."
291
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And now ^neas came on shaking his
great spear. "Why do you draw back, O
Turnus?'" he said. ''If you can, fly through
the air, or hide yourself in the earth; but
if not, meet me face to face." Turnus
answered: "It is not you I fear; it is the
gods who are turned against me." Then
he turned to fight. His sword he did not
use, but he saw a great stone that lay close
by, the landmark of a field. Very great it
was, so that twelve men — such as men are
nowadays — could scarcely lift it from the
ground. This he caught from the earth,
and, running forward, cast it at iEneas. But
he scarcely knew what he was doing, for
his knees tottered beneath him, and his blood
was cold with fear. He was like to a man
in a dream, who tries to run and cannot.
The stone fell short, and then Turnus looked
about him. He saw the city, but his chariot
he could not see, nor his sister. He could
not fight, and he could not flee, and the
dreadful spear was pointed at him. For a
while ^neas stood shaking it in his hand,
waiting till his aim should be sure. Then
he threw it with all his might. It came
292
THE DEATH OF TURNUS
like a whirlwind, and pierced the seven folds
of his shield, and made a deep wound in his
thigh. And Turnus dropped with his knee
on the ground, and all the Latins groaned
aloud to see it. Then he said: **I have
deserved my fate: take what you have won.
And yet have mercy on me. Pity the old
man, my father. You had such an one for
your own father. Give me back to my
own people. They have seen me beaten;
they see me beg my life from you: Lavinia
is yours. Therefore spare my life."
And iEneas stood in doubt. He might
have spared him, but that his eye fell on
the belt of Pallas. Then he cried with a
dreadful voice: "Shall I spare you when
you wear the spoils of my friend? Not
so; take this; it is Pallas slays you." And
he drove his spear into his breast. So the
spirit of Turnus passed into the darkness.
293
AFTERWARDS
AFTERWARDS
So iEneas married the fair Lavinia, and built
a city which he called after her name. This
city soon grew to be a great place, for the
people in the country round about heard the
fame of the great ^Eneas, how brave he was
in battle, and how just, and they came in
great numbers to be his subjects. Yet he
had enemies, for those whom he had over-
come in war wished to be revenged, nor
did they like that a man from foreign parts
should rule over them. So they gathered
a great army together, and marched against
the new city. iEneas went out to meet
them, and put them to flight; but he never
came back to his city. Some said that he
was drowned in a river which runs into
the sea not far from those parts; others,
that his mother Venus carried him away.
Certainly he was never seen again by any man.
By this time Lavinia had a little son,
and Ascanius thought that it would be well
297
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to leave the city Lavinium to his young
brother, and to found a new one for himself.
There were, indeed, by this time so many
people, Trojans, and Latins, and Tuscans, and
Greeks, who had come from the city of
Evander, that one place was not big enough
to hold them. So Lavinia had charge of
the city which had been called after her,
till her son should be old enough to take
the kingdom, and Ascanius built a new town
for himself, and called it Alba Longa — that
is, the Long White Town.
Not long after this the old King Evander
died, and as he left no son to succeed him,
the little town which he had built among
the seven hills by the Tiber was deserted,
and the people joined themselves either to
Ascanius at Alba, or to Lavinia and her
son at the other city.
For many years the place was without
inhabitants. Then by degrees a little village
grew up. For one thing, the country about
Alba was not a little troubled with earth-
quakes, but these did not reach as far as
the valley of the Tiber. People, too, who
got into trouble at home, were often glad
298
AFTERWARDS
to flee to this out-of-the-way place across
the river.
Then a wonderful thing happened: just what
the Fire-god had shown on the shield which
he made for ^neas. Two babies, children of
a princess descended from ^Eneas, were left out
to die by a cruel uncle ; but a she-wolf which
had lost her own cubs suckled them, and they
grew up to be the strongest men in the
country. As time went on the village was
turned into a town, and the town was made
a strong place. The people who lived in it
called themselves Romans. Some of their
neighbours they conquered, and with some
they made friends. Little by little they made
wider their boundaries and increased their
power. Many troubles they had, from quarrels
among themselves and from enemies without.
More than once their city was taken. Still,
however low it fell, it rose again stronger than
before. It conquered first all Italy, and then
the countries nearest to it, and then far-away
nations in Asia and Africa. Our own island
of Britain was almost the last of its conquests.
We may still see the ruins of the splendid
houses which the Romans built here, and the
299
iENEID FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
camps which their soldiers made. Most
wonderful of all the things which they left
behind them is the great Wall which was
made right across the island to keep out
the savages of the North. "Most wonderful,"
I say, but still greater than this was what
we have from them of Law and Order. But
this is a matter of which you will hear
more when you are older.
THE END
Printed in the United Sutes of America.
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